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**  »  •    •••••  •••  «« 


LADY    OF    THE    LAKE. 


BY 


SIR   WALTER   SCOTT. 


EDITED    BY 

EDWIN   GINN. 


BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED   BY   GIXN,   HEATH,   &   CO. 

1885. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1884,  by 

EDWIN  GINN, 
in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


J.  S.  CusHiNG  &  Co.,  Printers,  115  High  Street,  Boston. 


PEEFACE. 


/^N  page  V,  under  the  heading  "Classics  for  Chil- 
^-^  dren,"  is  given  the  origin  and  plan  of  a  series  of 
books  intended  for  the  young  in  our  public  schools. 
The  series  will  be  well  printed  in  large  type,  on  good 
paper,  and  firmly  bound,  and  will  be  furnished  at  a  price 
so  low  as  to  bring  within  the  reach  of  every  pupil  in  the 
land  these  books,  which  have  hitherto  been  confined  to 
the  homes  of  those  in  more  favored  circumstances. 

Scott's  writings  seem  well  fitted  for  children,  as  the 
language  is  simple  and  graphic,  the  thought  healthful 
and  invigorating,  and  the  events  narrated  based  so 
largely  on  real  life  as  to  tend  to  create  an  interest  in 
historical  studies.  This  poem,  with  its  beautiful  de- 
scriptions of  scenery,  its  vivid  pictures  of  life,  and  the 
charming  melody  of  its  rhythm  is  especially  well  suited 
to  interest  the  young. 

It  has  been  urged  against  the  use  of  Shakespeare, 
Scott,  and  such  writers,  in  the  grammar  grades,  that  it 
will  interfere  with  the  course  in  the  high  school,  where 
these  authors  are  studied.  If  only  one  out  of  twenty-five 
ever  reaches  the  high  school,  and  the  twenty-four  can 
read  these  authors  to  advantage  in  the  lower  grades, 
would  it  not  be  wise  to  remodel  the  entire  course  of 
study  in  such  a  way  as  to  secure  the  greatest  good  to 
the  greatest  number  ? 

Should  it  seem  to  some  that  too  many  simple  words 
have  been  defined,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
majority  of  children,  nine  years  of  age,  attending  public 

54!  684 


11  PREFACE. 

schools,  have  read  ahiiost  nothing,  and  are  not  snpplied 
with  dictionaries.  We  have  found  it  very  difficult  to 
define  certain  words  concisely,  in  language  sufficiently 
simple  to  be  within  the  comprehension  of  young  children. 

It  has  been  our  aim  to  give  the  child,  having  no  other 
sources  of  information,  such  help  as  would  enable  him 
to  read  this  poem  intelligentl}^  and  we  count  ourselves 
especially  fortunate  in  being  able  to  draw  so  largely 
from  Scott's  own  writings. 

In  abridging  and  quoting  from  Scott  and  other 
writers,  we  have  used  their  own  language  without 
change  as  far  as  possible,  thinking  it  better  to  retain 
the  original  vigorous  expression,  at  the  risk  sometimes 
of  its  being  a  little  abrupt,  than  to  restate  the  thought 
less  forcibly  in  a  smoother  connection  of  sentences. 

We  regret  that  no  more  space  could  be  allowed  for 
the  biography,  but  Ave  trust  enough  has  been  given  to 
lead  the  pupil  to  read  Lockhart's  complete  biography 
of  Scott.  Great  as  he  appears  in  his  works,  his  real 
grandeur  is  shown  in  his  quiet,  unassuming  life,  in  his 
unselfish  devotion  to  the  comforts  of  others,  and  in  his 
heroic  struggle,  when  crippled  with  disease,  against 
adverse  fortune. 

It  is  recommended  that  pupils  read  the  historical 
sketch  about  the  Highlands  and  James  V.,  page  xli, 
before  and  after  reading  the  poem. 

It  is  hoped  that  others  with  more  leisure  and  ampler 
resources  may  carry  on  the  work. 

We  have  availed  ourselves,  by  permission,  of  Mr. 
Rolfe's  carefully-restored  text  of  the  poem. 

E.    (jr. 


CONTEJSrTS. 


PAGE. 


en 


Introduction  :   Classics  for  Childn 
Life  of  A^^\LTER  Scott 
Highlanders  and  Borderers  of  Scotland 
Argument 

Canto  I.    The  Chase     . 
ir.    The  Island    . 

III.  The  Gathering 

IV.  The  Prophecy 
V.    The  Combat  . 

VI.    The  Gi  ard-room 
Index  to  Xotes 
Map  .... 


XV 

xli 

1 

3 

37 

74 

108 

14-2 

178 

211 

220 


CLASSICS    FOR    CHILDREH". 


-«o«- 


THE  present  volume  forms  one  of  a  series  of  standard 
works,  to  be  edited  for  the  use  of  children  between 
the  ages  of  nine  and  fifteen  in  the  Public  Schools.  It 
was  suggested  by  seeing  the  result  of  setting  children  of 
nine  and  eleven  years  to  reading  The  Lady  of  the 
Lake.  They  soon  became  so  much  interested  in  it 
that  they  began  not  only  to  read  with  greater  ease, 
but  voluntarily  committed  to  memory  large  portions  of 
the  poem. 

This  result  led  to  making  numerous  inquiries  of 
thoughtful  men  and  women,  in  various  walks  of  life, 
in  regard  to  their  early  reading.  The  evidence  thus 
gained  shows  that  children  are  capable  of  enjoying 
good  books  at  an  early  age,  and  the  chances  of  forming 
in  them  a  taste  for  good  literature  are  then  much  better 
than  at  a  later  period. 

In  order  that  this  course  of  reading  might  be  removed 
still  further  from  an  experimental  basis,  a  list  of  ques- 
tions about  the  works  of  standard  authors  was  sent  to 
leading  men  in  the  various  professions,  from  whom 
many  valuable  answers,  suggestions,  and  offers  of  assist- 
ance have  been  received.  The  kind  of  matter  having 
been  decided  on,  the  next  thing  to  be  considered  was 
the  editorial  work.  It  seems  best,  as  far  as  practicable, 
to  publish  complete  works;  but  some,  like  Scott's  novels, 


vi  CLASSICS   FOR   CHILDREN. 

contain  much  matter  beyond  the  years  of  the  children 
for  whom  the  books  are  designed,  besides  being  too 
bulky  for  our  purpose.  Though  it  is  not  an  easy  task 
to  abridge  Scott,  we  are  fortunate  in  finding  a  person 
equal  to  it,  as  Miss  Yonge's  Quentin  jDurward 
shows. 

It  is  designed  to  give  such  notes  at  the  foot  of  the 
page  as  will  enable  children  to  read  understandingly 
without  the  aid  of  other  books.  It  may  be  thought 
that  we  have  given  too  many  definitions  of  words 
readily  found ;  but  these  books  are  designed  for  chil- 
dren in  the  Public  Schools,  few  of  whom  are  supplied 
with  dictionaries.  Besides,  a  pupil  having  a  vague 
idea  of  the  meaning  of  a  word  may  not  take  the  trouble 
to  look  it  up ;  but,  if  a  glance  at  the  bottom  of  the  page 
would  give  him  more  definite  information,  without  loss  of 
time  or  interest,  he  would  be  glad  to  avail  himself  of  it. 

It  may  be  urged  that  many  pupils  of  this  age  will 
not  take  any  interest  in  such  works.  Very  likely.  For 
such  we  would  prescribe  a  liberal  amount  of  committing 
to  memory.  It  may  prove  quite  as  interesting  to  the 
children,  and  as  valuable,  from  an  educational  point 
of  view,  as  memorizing  the  ten  thousand  bays,  capes, 
rivers,  islands,  lakes,  mountains,  inlets,  counties,  towns, 
and  cities  now  required.  The  one-tenth  that  could 
be  recalled  by  some  law  of  association,  as  the  relation 
of  rivers  to  mountain  chains,  the  occupations  of  the 
people  as  modified  by  climate,  etc.,  has  been  retained  and 
assimilated,  but  the  other  nine-tenths  have  been  gotten 
rid  of  as  useless  lumber.  It  may  have  had  some  bene- 
ficial influence  in  exercising  the  memory,  but  how  much 
better   to    have    used   the    same   amount   of    effort   in 


CLASSICS   FOR  CHILDREN.  vii 

memorizing  the  choicest  pages  of  the  best  authors, 
which  would  have  had  a  lasting  influence  in  forming 
correct  literary  tastes,  as  well  as  in  storing  the  mind 
with  healthful  sentiments,  to  be  recalled  always  with 
delight. 

It  seems  to  us  a  sad  abuse  of  time  to  require  children 
to  learn  such  facts  as  the  date  of  election,  term  of 
service,  and  the  state  in  which  each  of  the  Presidents 
and  Vice-Presidents  of  the  United  States  was  born,  and 
the  details  of  every  unimportant  battle  or  skirmish  in 
the  Colonial,  French,  and  Indian  wars.  Let  them  but 
spend  the  same  amount  of  time  in  reading  such  works 
as  Irving's  "  Life  of  Washington,"  Scott's  "  Tales  of  a 
Grandfather,"  and  Macaulay's  "History  of  England," 
and  they  will  obtain  not  only  more  valuable  informa- 
tion, but,  what  is  vastly  more  important^  they  will  be 
acquiring  a  taste  for  good  reading  and  a  love  for  history 
which  will  be  of  inestimable  value  to  them  in  after  life. 
Besides,  they  will  learn  to  use  better  English  from  con- 
stant use  of  such  models  than  by  studying  technical 
grammar  and  poring  over  innumerable  examples  of 
true  and  false  syntax. 

The  child  should  have  only  the  best  set  before  him, 
for  otherwise  he  is  more  liable  to  copy  the  imperfect, 
or  to  become  confused  between  the  true  and  the  false, 
than  to  be  guided  aright. 

But  to  arithmetic  we  must  look  for  the  greatest  mis- 
ai:)propriation  of  time.  In  the  country  school  it  con- 
sumes about  three-fourths  of  all  the  time.  It  is  com- 
mon to  find  young  men  who  can  solve  every  one  of  the 
thousand  puzzles  in  the  bulky  arithmetics,  but  cannot 
write   a   common   letter  without  making  half  a  dozen 


Vlll  CLASSICS   FOR   CHILDREN. 

mistakes  in  grammar  and  spelling.  The  pupils  in  the 
Grammar  Schools  must  spend  years  over  the  long  and 
tedious  examples  in  compound  fractions,  compound 
numbers,  compound  proportion,  profit  and  loss,  part- 
nership, alligation,  involution,  square  and  cube  roots, 
geometrical  progression,  permutations,  annuities,  and 
what  not,  though  they  have  not  time  to  read  a  single 
play  of  Shakespeare  or  a  volume  of  history  or  other 
standard  literature. 

Much  valuable  time  is  wasted  by  reversing  the  true 
order  of  studies,  and  giving  so  much  attention  to  ex- 
hibitions, examinations,  and  methods. 

The  child  with  a  little  knowledge  and  a  good  mem- 
ory may  make  a  far  better  showing  than  the  one  who 
knows  a  great  deal  more  of  the  subject.  Memory  com- 
mands a  premium ;  intelligence  is  at  a  discount. 

All  real  progress  must  be  unconscious,  and  the  in- 
stant the  pupil  turns  his  thoughts  to  what  he  is  doing 
and  how  he  is  doing  it,  he  not  only  ceases  to  learn,  but 
has  put  the  greatest  bar  to  his  future  progress,  by 
emphasizing  his  self-consciousness  and  egotism.  As 
Dr.  Stanley  Hall  truly  says,  such  teaching  is  like  the 
farmer's  tearing  up  his  beans  from  the  earth  every 
day,  to  observe  the  manner  and  progress  of  growth. 

The  first  lesson  we  would  give  would  be  the  reverse 
of  all  this.  We  would  never  for  a  moment  allow  any 
study  with  any  other  idea  than  simply  understanding 
the  subject  without  thought  of  answering  any  ques- 
tions on  it.  We  would  try  to  get  the  pupil  to  forget 
everything,  except  his  lesson,  and  utterly  to  lose  himself 
in  that. 

It  is  not  natural  for  young  children  to  confine  their 


CLASSICS   FOR   CHILDREN.  ix 

attention  very  closely  or  very  long  to  one  thing.  There 
is  so  much  to  learn,  so  many  novel  things,  that  they 
must  give  some  time  to  each.  One  should  not  attempt 
to  control  too  early  in  life  this  natural  tendency  to 
change  ;  but,  as  soon  as  children  begin  to  use  books, 
they  should  be  taught  the  value  of  giving  their  undivided 
attentioii  to  the  lesson  in  hand,  at  short  intervals  at  first, 
lengthening  the  time  gradually  so  as  not  to  tire.  We 
would  impress  upon  them  the  ivickedness  of  playing 
study,  giving  a  listless,  partial  attention,  and  allowing 
their  minds  frequently  to  wander  to  other  subjects. 
This  want  of  concentration  of  effort  is  the  greatest 
possible  obstacle  to  advancement  in  learning,  —  a  fault 
most  common  to  pupils,  and,  strange  to  say,  one  to 
which  but  few  teachers  give  any  attention. 

It  is  necessary  for  children  to  read  a  great  deal,  to 
acquire  that  facility  of  expression  which  will  enable 
them  to  perform  the  merely  mechanical  operation  of 
reading  without  conscious  effort.  The  mind  should  be 
entirely  free  to  concentrate  itself  on  the  subject-matter. 
Now,  since  it  is  not  natural  for  them  to  apply  them- 
selves closely  enough  and  long  enough  to  accom2:)lish 
this  work,  we  should  aid  them  by  supplying  an  abun- 
dance of  interesting  material.  It  is  not,  therefore,  of  so 
much  importance,  at  this  stage  of  the  child's  education, 
that  the  highest  moral  truths  be  presented,  as  that  the 
matter  be  of  such  intense  interest  as  to  catch  and  hold 
the  whole  attention  of  the  pupil.  The  highest  moral 
law  he  should  now  know  is  to  learn  the  command  of 
words,  and  the  most  effective  use  of  his  faculties.  Care 
should  be  taken  that  his  English  should  be  simple  and 
forcible,  and  nothing  harmful  in  ethics  should  be  allowed. 


X  CLASSICS  FOR   CHILDREN. 

It  is  a  waste  of  time  to  try  to  teach  morals,  in  his  read- 
ing lesson,  to  a  child  who  has  to  spell  out  his  words ; 
and  almost  as  bad  to  try  to  teach  geography,  grammar, 
arithmetic,  and  the  other  subjects.  Words  are  to  him 
as  tools  to  the  mechanic.  Until  he  has  learned  to  use 
them  effectively,  he  should  not  be  put  to  serious  work, 
where  his  attention  is  distracted  from  his  first  duty,  — 
the  perfecting  himself  in  his  trade,  the  command  of 
words.  If  a  part  of  the  time  now  given  to  spelling  out 
words,  in  geography,  arithmetic,  grammar,  and  stupid 
reading-lessons,  were  devoted  at  first,  wholly  or  mostly, 
to  reading  only,  our  children  would  not  only  become 
much  better  scholars  in  these  various  branches,  but 
read  more  literature  in  the  Grammar  Schools  than  the 
college  student  now  gets  before  graduating;  besides, 
they  would  acquire  a  literary  taste  and  a  love  for  good 
reading,  of  inestimable  value  to  them  in  their  future 
life,  which  will  never  be  so  busy  but  that  they  will  find 
the  time  for  a  few  moments'  gratification  of  it.  People 
are  ignorant,  not  so  much  because  of  being  overworked, 
as  from  want  of  a  love  for  good  reading.  Give  the 
children  a  chance,  a  glimpse  into  the  great  storehouses 
of  knowledge  in  books,  wherein  they  may  commune 
with  the  greatest  minds  at  their  best. 

After  the  child  has  learned  to  read  with  ease  simple 
stories  from  all  sources,  the  course  should  assume  more 
definite  form,  including  the  standard  works  of  fiction, 
history,  biography,  natural  history,  etc.,  all  well  graded, 
keeping  constantly  in  mind  these  three  points :  interest, 
moral  power,  and  style  ;  selecting  those  only  which  em- 
body these  all  in  the  greatest  degree. 

It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  to  develop  a  love  for 


CLASSICS   FOR    CHILDREN.  xi 

history  in  early  life,  as  no  one  can  be  well  read  without 
a  fair  knowledge  of  the  past.  In  fact,  one  must  know 
a  people  in  order  to  understand  their  literature.  Some 
of  the  best  thoughts  of  a  writer,  depending  upon  allu- 
sions to  historical  persons  or  events,  are  entirely  lost  to 
the  reader  not  familiar  wdth  history.  Nor  is  this  the 
only  reason  of  its  value.  The  tracing  of  great  events 
unfolds  the  mind.  We  suffer  and  enjoy  with  the 
struggling  mortals  of  the  past,  and,  as  it  were,  pass 
through  their  verj^  experiences,  and  are  able  to  reap 
their  rewards  while  w^e  avoid  their  mistakes.  One  who 
really  loves  history  will  find  time  to  read  it,  but  none 
for  cheap  novels.  Leading  epochs  should  be  selected 
from  the  great  liistorians,  adding  such  information  as 
may  be  necessary  for  a  complete  understanding  of  the 
extracts.  The  historical  novel  and  biography  are  espe- 
cially well  calculated  to  create  a  love  for  history,  and 
the  whole  course  should  be  so  graded  that  biography, 
natural  history,  novels,  travels,  history,  and  the  various 
departments  of  literature  should  be  made  mutually  help- 
ful and  dependent,  covering  the  same  periods  and  illus- 
trating one  another. 

This  work  cannot  be  left  to  the  High  School,  for  we 
find,  on  a  careful  examination  of  the  reports  from  several 
of  our  largest  cities,  where  the  schools  have  attained 
their  greatest  perfection,  that  only  one  in  twenty-five 
of  the  whole  number  of  pupils  ever  reaches  that  grade. 

Besides,  only  a  very  limited  portion  of  time  is  now 
given  to  this  work  in  our  higher  institutions  of  learning, 
and  there  is  a  prospect  of  less  in  the  near  future.  The 
bread-and-butter  theory  of  education,  appealing  directly 
to  the  needs  of  the  great  majority  of  the  people,  has 


XU  CLASSICS   FOE   CHILDREN. 

always  exerted  a  strong  influence  against  the  higher 
training,  and  of  late  it  has  become  alarmingly  popular 
in  our  very  strongholds  of  a  liberal  education. 

It  may  prove  a  dangerous  experiment  in  education 
to  allow  the  modei^  to  take  the  place  of  the  ancient 
languages,  which  have  been  for  so  many  centuries  the 
basis  of  the  best  training  the  world  has  yet  known.  A 
single  generation  may  suffice  to  show  our  lost  ground, 
but  centuries  may  not  afford  time  to  regain  it. 

A  knowledge  of  French  and  German  may  enable  the 
American  trader  to  extend  his  commercial  relations  and 
rapidly  to  gain  wealth,  or  the  tourist  to  spend  a  much 
more  pleasant  trip  abroad;  but  this  education  only  enables 
him  to  pass  readily  from  one  bustling  country  to  another, 
where  he  will  still  find  his  fellow-traveller  snatching  his 
hasty  meal,  reading  his  damp  newspaper,  and  content 
to  become  the  connecting  link  between  the  rail-car  and 
the  telegraph-wire.  When  studjdng  Latin  and  Greek, 
we  are  forced  out  of  the  present,  and  are  obliged  to 
extend  our  horizon,  and,  like  the  near-sighted  at  sea, 
attain  a  more  healthy  vision.  It  has  a  wonderfully 
calming  influence  on  young  America  to  spend  a  few 
years  studying  those  old  heathen  languages,  whicli  after 
two  thousand  years  furnish  the  whole  civilized  world 
their  models  of  expression  in  language,  art,  and  law. 

Though  only  a  small  proportion  of  the  Avhole  number 
of  pupils  now  reach  the  High  School,  its  elevating  in- 
fluence is  felt  on  all  the  lower  grades;  and,  as  fast  as 
the  people  learn  to  value  education  as  increasing  one's 
manhood  or  womanhood  by  developing  the  powers  of 
enjoyment  and  usefulness  rather  than  as  a  means  of 
gaining  wealth,  they  will  make  greater  exertions  to 
furnish  their  children  the  best  possible. 


CLASSICS   FOK   CHILDIIEN.  xiii 

It  is  hoped  that  this  attempt  to  put  standard  litera- 
ture into  the  hands  of  young  children  will  receive  en- 
couragement, and  that  a  free  discussion  of  the  subject 
may  lead  to  such  changes  in  the  course  of  instruction 
in  the  Public  Schools  as  shall  give  to  each  study  the 
proportion  of  time  its  im[)ortance  may  fairly  claim. 

Jli.   Gr. 


1   '  ,  '    ^    >    J 

)  )       )       )     >         > 


LIFE     OF     WALTER     SCOTT. 


ABRIDGEJ)    FROM    HIS    AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 


-*o*- 


W ALTER  SCOTT,  m}'  father,  was  born  in  1729,  and 
educated  to  the  profession  of  a  Writer  to  the  Signet.^ 
I  was  born,  as  I  believe,  on  the  15th  August,  1771.  I 
showed  every  sign  of  health  and  strength  until  I  was 
about  eighteen  months  old.  One  night,  I  have  been  often 
told,  I  showed  great  reluctance  to  be  caught  and  put  to  bed ; 
and  after  being  chased  about  the  room,  was  apprehended 
and  consigned  to  my  dormitor}'  with  some  difficulty.  It  was 
the  last  time  I  was  to  show  such  personal  agilit}'.  In  the 
morning,  I  was  discovered  to  be  affected  with  the  fever 
which  often  accompanies  the  cutting  of  large  teeth.  It  held 
me  three  days.  On  the  fourth,  when  they  went  to  bathe  me 
as  usual,  they  discovered  that  I  had  lost  the  power  of  my 
right  leg.  M}^  grandfather,  an  excellent  anatomist  as  well 
as  physician,  the  late  worthy  Alexander  Wood,  and  many 
others  of  the  most  respectable  of  the  faculty,  were  consulted. 
There  appeared  to  be  no  dislocation  or  sprain  ;  blisters  and 
other  topical  remedies  were  applied  in  vain.  The  advice  of 
my  grandfather.  Dr.  Rutherford,  that  I  should  be  sent  to 
reside  in  the  countr}',  to  give  the  chance  of  natural  exertion, 
excited  by  free  air  and  liberty,  was  first  resorted  to ;  and 
before  I  have  the  recollection  of  the  slightest  event,  I  was, 
agreeably  to  this  friendly  counsel,  an  inmate  in  the  farm- 
house of  Sandy-Knowe. 

1  An  Edinburgh  solicitor. 


xvi  AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 

It  is  here  at  Sandy-Knowe,  in  the  residence  of  m}^  paternal 
^raadfatber,  alreaey  mentioned,  that  I  have  the  first  con- 
sciousness oif  existence. 

My  grandmother,  in  whose  youth  the  old  Border  depreda- 
tions were  matter  of  recent  tradition,  used  to  tell  me  man}' 
a  tale  of  Watt  of  Harden,  Wight  Willie  of  Aikwood,  Jamie 
Telfer  of  the  fair  Dodhead,  and  other  heroes — merrymen 
all  of  the  persuasion  and  calling  of  Robin  Hood  and  Little 
John.  Two  or  three  old  books  which  lay  in  the  window-seat 
were  explored  for  my  amusement  in  the  tedious  winter-da3S. 
Automathes^  and  Ramsay's  Tea-table  Miscellany,  were  my 
favorites,  although  at  a  later  period'  an  odd  volume  of 
Josephus's  Wars  of  the  Jews  divided  my  partialit}-. 

My  kind  and  affectionate  aunt,  Miss  Janet  Scott,  whose 
memorv  will  ever  be  dear  to  me,  used  to  read  these  works 
to  me  with  admirable  patience,  until  I  could  repeat  long 
passages  by  heart.  The  ballad  of  Hardyknute  I  was  early 
master  of,  to  the  great  annoyance  of  almost  our  onh'  visitor, 
the  worthy  clergyman  of  the  parish,  Dr.  Duncan,  who  had 
not  patience  to  have  a  sober  chat  interrupted  by  my  shouting 
forth  this  ditty.  Methinks  I  now  see  his  tall,  thin,  emaciated 
figure,  his  legs  cased  in  clasped  gambadoes,  and  his  face  of 
a  length  that  would  have  rivalled  the  Knight  of  La  Mancha's, 
and  hear  him  exclaiming,  "One  may  as  well  speak  in  the 
mouth  of  a  cannon  as  where  that  child  is." 

I  was  in  m}*  fourth  year  when  m}'  father  was  advised  that 
the  Bath  waters  might  be  of  some  advantage  to  my  lameness. 
M}'  affectionate  aunt,  although  such  a  journey  promised  to  a 
person  of  her  retired  habits  anything  but  pleasure  or  amuse- 
ment, undertook  as  readily  to  accompany  me  to  the  wells  of 
Bladud  as  if  she  had  expected  all  the  delight  that  ever  the 
prospect  of  a  watering-place  held  out  to  its  most  impatient 
visitants.  My  health  was  b}'  this  time  a  good  deal  confirmed 
by  the  country  air  and  the  influence  of  that  imperceptible 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  xvii 

and  iinfatigiiing  exercise  to  which  the  good  sense  of  my 
grandfather  had  subjected  me ;  for,  when  the  day  was  fine,  1 
was  usually  carried  out  and  laid  down  beside  the  old  shep- 
herd, among  the  crags  or  rocks  round  which  he  fed  his  sheep. 
The  impatience  of  a  child  soon  inclined  me  to  struggle  with 
my  infirmity,  and  I  began  by  degrees  to  stand,  to  walk,  and 
to  run.  Although  the  limb  affected  was  much  shrunk  and 
contracted,  my  general  health,  which  was  of  more  importance, 
was  much  strengthened  by  being  frequently  in  the  open  air ; 
and,  in  a  word,  I,  who  in  a  city  had  probably  been  condemned 
to  hopeless  and  helpless  decrepitude,  was  now  a  healthy, 
high-spirited,  and,  my  lameness  apart,  a  sturdy  child. 

During  my  residence  at  Bath  I  acquired  the  rudiments  of 
reading,  at  a  day-school  kept  by  an  old  dame  near  our  lodg- 
ings, and  I  had  never  a  more  regular  teacher,  although  I 
think  I  did  not  attend  her  a  quarter  of  a  year.  An  occasional 
lesson  from  my  aunt  supplied  the  rest.  Afterwards,  when 
grown  a  big  boy,  I  had  a  few  lessons  from  Mr.  Stalker  of 
Edinburgh,  and  finally  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cleeve.  But  I 
never  acquired  a  just  pronunciation,  nor  could  I  read  with 
much  propriety. 

The  most  delightful  recollections  of  Bath  are  dated  after 
the  arrival  of  my  uncle.  Captain  Robert  Scott,  who  intro- 
duced me  to  all  the  little  amusements  which  suited  m^^  age, 
and,  above  all,  to  the  theatre.  The  play  was  As  You  Like 
It;  and  the  witchery  of  the  whole  scene  is  alive  in  my  mind 
at  this  moment.  I  made,  I  believe,  noise  more  than  enouo-h, 
and  remember  being  so  much  scandalized  at  the  quarrel 
between  Orlando  and  his  brother,  in  the  first  scene,  that  I 
screamed  out,  "  A'n't  they  brothers?"  A  few  weeks'  resi- 
dence at  home  convinced  me,  who  had  till  then  been  an  only 
child  in  the  house  of  my  grandfather,  that  a  quarrel  between 
brothers  was  a  very  natural  event. 

After  being  a  year  at  Bath,  I  returned  first  to  Edinl)uro-h, 


XVlll  AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 

and  afterwards  for  a  season  to  Sandy-Knowe  ;  —  and  thus 
the  time  whiled  away  till  about  mj'  eighth  year,  when  it 
was  thought  sea-bathing  might  be  of  service  to  my  lame- 
ness. 

For  this  purpose,  still  under  my  aunt's  protection,  I  re- 
mained some  weeks  at  Prestonpans,  —  a  circumstance  not 
worth  mentioning,  excepting  to  record  my  juvenile  intimacy 
with  an  old  military  veteran,  Dalgetty  by  name,  who  had 
pitched  his  tent  in  that  little  village,  after  all  his  campaigns, 
subsisting  upon  an  ensign's  Ixalf-pay,  though  called  by 
courtesy  a  Captain.  As  this  old  gentleman,  who  had  been 
in  all  the  German  wars,  found  very  few  to  listen  to  his  tales 
of  military  feats,  he  formed  a  sort  of  alliance  with  me,  and 
I  used  invariably  to  attend  him  for  the  pleasure  of  hearing 
those  communications.  Sometimes  our  conversation  turned 
on  the  American  war,  which  was  then  raging.  It  was  about 
the  time  of  Burgoyne's  unfortunate  expedition,  to  which  my 
Captain  and  I  augured  different  conclusions.  Somebody 
had  shown  me  a  map  of  North  America,  and,  struck  with 
the  rugged  appearance  of  the  countr}-,  and  the  quantity  of 
lakes,  I  expressed  some  doubts  on  the  subject  of  the  Gener- 
al's arriving  safely  at  the  end  of  his  journe}',  which  were 
very  indignantly  refuted  by  the  Captain.  The  news  of  the 
Saratoga  disaster,  while  it  gave  me  a  little  triumph,  rather 
shook  my  intimacy  with  the  veteran. 

Besides  this  veteran,  I  found  another  ally  at  Prestonpans 
in  the  person  of  George  Constable,  an  old  friend  of  m}^ 
father's.  He  was  the  first  person  who  told  me  about  Falstaff 
and  Hotspur,  and  other  characters  in  Shakespeare.  What 
idea  I  annexed  to  them  I  know^  not,  but  I  must  have  annexed 
some,  for  I  remember  quite  w^ell  being  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject. Indeed,  I  rather  suspect  that  children  derive  impulses 
of  a  powerful  and  important  kind  in  hearing  things  which 
they  cannot  entirely  comprehend ;    and,  therefore,   that  to 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  xix 

write  down  to  childreu's  understanding  is   a  mistake :    set 
them  on  the  scent,  and  let  them  puzzle  it  out. 

From  Prestonpans  I  was  transported  back  to  my  father's 
house  in  George's  Square,  which  continued  to  be  my  most 
established  place  of  residence,  until  m}-  marriage  in  1797. 
I  felt  the  change,  from  being  a  single  indulged  brat  to  be- 
coming a  member  of  a  large  family-,  very  severely  ;  for,  under 
the  gentle  government  of  my  kind  grandmother,  who  was 
meekness  itself,  and  of  ni}-  aunt,  who,  though  of  an  higher 
temper,  was  exceedingly  attached  to  me,  I  had  acquired  a 
degree  of  license  which  could  not  be  permitted  in  a  large 
family.  I  had  sense  enough,  however,  to  bend  m}'  temper 
to  my  new  circumstances  ;  but,  such  was  the  agony  which  I 
internally  experienced,  that  I  have  guarded  against  nothing 
more,  in  the  education  of  my  own  family,  than  against  their 
acquiring  habits  of  self-willed  caprice  and  domination.  I 
found  much  consolation,  during  this  period  of  mortification, 
in  the  partiality  of  my  mother.  She  joined  to  a  light  and 
happy  temper  of  mind  a  strong  turn  to  study  poetry  and 
works  of  imagination. 

My  lameness  and  my  solitary  habits  had  made  me  a  tolera- 
ble reader,  and  my  hours  of  leisure  were  usually  spent  in 
reading  aloud  to  m}-  mother  Pope's  translation  of  Homer, 
which,  excepting  a  few  traditionary  ballads,  and  the  songs 
in  Allan  Ramsay's  Evergreen^  was  the  first  poetry  which  I 
perused.  My  mother  had  good  natural  taste  and  great  feel- 
ing :  she  used  to  make  me  pause  upon  those  passages  which 
expressed  generous  and  worthy  sentiments,  and,  if  she  could 
not  divert  me  from  those  which  were  descriptive  of  battle 
and  tumult,  she  contrived  at  least  to  divide  m}'  attention 
between  them.  M}'  own  enthusiasm,  however,  was  chiefly 
awakened  bv  the  wonderful  and  the  terrible  —  the  common 
taste  of  children,  but  in  which  I  have  remained  a  child  even 
unto  this  day.     I  got  by  heart,  not  as  a  task,   but  almost 


XX  AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 

without  intending  it,  the  passages  with  which  I  was  most 
pleased,  and  used  to  recite  them  aloud,  both  when  alone  and 
to  others  —  more  willingl}^,  however,  in  ni}-  hours  of  solitude, 
for  I  had  observed  some  auditors  smile,  and  I  dreaded  ridi- 
cule at  that  time  of  life  more  than  I  have  ever  done  since. 

In  [1778]  I  was  sent  to  the  second  class  of  the  Grammar 
School,  or  High  School  of  Edinburgh,  then  taught  b^'  Mr. 
Luke  Fraser,  a  good  Latin  scholar  and  a  verj'  worthy  man. 
Though  I  had  received,  with  my  brothers,  in  private,  lessons 
of  Latin  from  Mr.  James  French,  now  a  minister  of  the  Kirk 
of  Scotland,  I  was  nevertheless  rather  behind  the  class  in 
which  I  was  placed  both  in  3'ears  and  in  progress.  This  was 
a  real  disadvantage,  and  one  to  which  a  boy  of  livel}'  temper 
and  talents  ought  to  be  as  little  exposed  as  one  who  might 
be  less  expected  to  make  up  his  lee-wa}',  as  it  is  called.  The 
situation  has  the  unfortunate  effect  of  reconciling  a  boy  of 
the  former  character  (which  in  a  posthumous  work  I  may 
claim  for  my  own)  to  holding  a  subordinate  station  among 
his  class-fellows  —  to  which  he  would  otherwise  affix  dis- 
grace. There  is  also,  from  the  constitution  of  the  High 
School,  a  certain  danger  not  sufficientl}'  attended  to.  The 
bo3's  take  precedence  in  their  places^  as  they  are  called, 
according  to  their  merit,  and  it  requires  a  long  w^hile,  in 
general,  before  even  a  clever  boy,  if  he  falls  behind  the  class, 
or  is  put  into  one  for  which  he  is  not  quite  ready,  can  force 
his  way  to  the  situation  which  his  abilities  really  entitle  him 
to  hold.  But,  in  the  meanwhile,  he  is  necessarily  led  to  be 
the  associate  and  companion  of  those  inferior  spirits  with 
whom  he  is  placed ;  for  the  system  of  precedence,  though  it 
does  not  limit  the  general  intercourse  among  the  bo3's,  has 
nevertheless  the  effect  of  throwing  them  into  clubs  and 
coteries,  according  to  the  vicinit}'  of  the  seats  they  hold.  A 
boy  of  good  talents,  therefore,  placed  even  for  a  time  among 
his  inferiors,  especially  if  they  be  also  his  elders,  learns  to 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  XXI 

participate  in  their  pursuits  and  objects  of  ambition,  which 
are  usually  very  distinct  from  the  acquisition  of  learning ; 
and  it  will  be  well  if  he  does  not  also  imitate  them  in  that 
indifference  which  is  contented  with  bustling  over  a  lesson 
so  as  to  avoid  punishment,  without  affecting  superiority  or 
aiming  at  reward.  It  was  probably  owing  to  this  circmn- 
stance,  that,  although  at  a  more  advanced  period  of  life  I 
have  enjoyed  considerable  facility  in  acquiring  languages, 
I  did  not  make  any  great  figure  at  the  High  School ;  or,  at 
least,  any  exertions  which  I  made  were  desultory  and  little 
to  be  depended  on. 

Our  class  contained  some  ver}'  excellent  scholars.  As  for 
myself,  I  glanced  like  a  meteor  from  one  end  of  the  class  to 
the  other,  and  commonly  disgusted  my  kind  master  as  much 
by  negUgence  and  frivoUty  as  I  occasionally  pleased  him  by 
flashes  of  intellect  and  talent.  Among  my  companions  my 
good-nature  and  a  flow  of  ready  imagination  rendered  me 
very  popular.  Boys  are  uncommonly  just  in  their  feelings, 
and  at  least  equally  generous.  My  lameness,  and  the  efforts 
which  I  made  to  supply  that  disadvantage,  by  making  up 
in  address  what  I  wanted  in  activity,  engaged  the  latter 
principle  in  my  favor ;  and  in  the  winter  play -hours,  when 
hard  exercise  was  impossible,  my  tales  used  to  assemble  an 
admiring  audience  round  Lucky  Brown's  fireside,  and  happy 
was  he  that  could  sit  next  to  the  inexhaustible  narrator.  I 
was  also,  though  often  negligent  of  my  own  task,  always 
ready  to  assist  my  friends ;  and  hence  I  had  a  little  pai'ty  of 
staunch  partisans  and  adherents,  stout  of  hand  and  heart, 
though  somewhat  dull  of  head, —  the  very  tools  for  raising  a 
hero  to  eminence.  So,  on  the  whole,  I  made  a  brighter 
figure  in  the  yards  than  in  the  class. 

After  having  been  three  years  under  Mr.  Fraser,  our  class 
was,  in  the  usual  routine  of  the  school,  turned  over  to  Dr. 
Adam,  the  Rector.     It  was  from  this  respectable  man  that 


xxii  AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 

I  first  learned  the  value  of  the  knowledge  I  had  hitherto  con- 
sidered only  as  a  burdensome  task.  It  was  the  fashion  to 
remain  two  years  at  his  class,  where  we  read  Caesar  and 
Liv}^  and  Sallust,  in  prose  ;  Virgil,  Horace,  and  Terence, 
in  verse.  I  had  by  this  time  mastered,  in  some  degree,  the 
difficulties  of  the  language,  and  began  to  be  sensible  of  its 
beauties.  This  was  reall}'  gathering  grapes  from  thistles  ; 
nor  shall  I  soon  forget  the  swelling  of  my  little  pride  when 
the  Rector  pronounced,  that  though  many  of  my  school-fel- 
lows understood  the  Latin  better,  Gualterus  Scott  was  behind 
few  in  following  and  cnjojing  the  author's  meaning.  Thus 
encouraged,  I  distinguished  m3'self  by  some  attempts  at 
poetical  versions  from  Horace  and  ^Virgil.  Dr.  Adam  used 
to  invite  his  scholars  to  such  essays,  but  never  made  them 
tasks.  I  gained  some  distinction  upon  these  occasions,  and 
the  Rector  in  future  took  much  notice  of  me ;  and  his 
judicious  mixture  of  censure  and  praise  went  far  to  counter- 
balance my  habits  of  indolence  and  inattention.  I  saw  I 
was  expected  to  do  well,  and  I  was  piqued  in  honor  to 
vindicate  my  master's  favorable  opinion.  I  climbed,  there- 
fore, to  the  first  form  ;  and,  though  I  never  made  a  first-rate 
Latinist,  nw  school-fellows,  and  what  was  of  more  conse- 
quence, I  mj^self,  considered  that  I  had  a  character  for 
learning  to  maintain. 

From  Dr.  Adam's  class  I  should,  according  to  the  usual 
routine,  have  proceeded  immediateh'  to  college.  But,  for- 
tunately, I  was  not  3'et  to  lose,  by  a  total  dismission  from 
constraint,  the  acquaintance  with  the  Latin  which  I  had 
acquired.  My  health  had  become  rather  delicate  from  rapid 
growth,  and  my  father  was  easily  persuaded  to  allow  me  to 
spend  half  a  j^ear  at  Kelso  with  my  kind  aunt,  Miss  Janet 
Scott,  whose  inmate  I  again  became.  It  was  hardly  worth 
mentioning  that  I  had  frequently  visited  her  during  our  short 
vacations. 


AUTOBiOGRAriiy.  xxiii 

In  the  meanwhile  my  acquaintance  witli  English  literature 
was  gradually  extending  itself.  In  the  intervals  of  my 
school  hours  I  had  always  perused  with  avidity  such  books 
of  histor}'  or  poetry  or  voyages  and  travels  as  chance  pre- 
sented to  me,  —  not  forgetting  the  usual,  or  rather  ten  times 
the  usual,  quantity  of  fairy  tales,  eastern  stories,  romances, 
etc.  These  studies  were  totally  unregulated  and  undirected. 
My  tutor  thought  it  almost  a  sin  to  open  a  profane  play  or 
poem  ;  and  my  mother,  besides  that  she  might  be  in  some 
degree  trammelled  by  the  religious  scruples  which  he  sug- 
gested, had  no  longer  the  opportunity  to  hear  me  read  poetry 
as  formerly.  I  found,  however,  in  her  dressing-room  (where 
I  slept  at  one  time)  some  odd  volumes  of  Shakespeare  ;  nor 
can  I  easily  forget  the  rapture  with  which  I  sate  up  in  my 
shirt  reading  them  by  the  light  of  a  fire  in  her  apartment, 
until  the  bustle  of  the  family  rising  from  supper  warned  me 
it  was  time  to  creep  back  to  my  bed,  where  I  was  supposed 
to  have  been  safely  deposited  since  nine  o'clock.  Chance, 
however,  threw  in  my  way  a  poetical  preceptor.  This  was 
no  other  than  the  excellent  and  benevolent  Dr.  Blacklock, 
well  known  at  that  time  as  a  literary  character.  I  know  not 
how  I  attracted  his  attention,  and  that  of  some  of  the  3'oung 
men  who  boarded  in  his  family  ;  but  so  it  was  that  I  became 
a  frequent  and  favored  guest.  The  kind  old  man  opened  to 
me  the  stores  of  his  library,  and  through  his  recommendation 
I  became  intimate  with  Ossian  and  Spenser.  I  was  delighted 
with  both,  yet  I  think  chiefly  with  the  latter  poet.  The 
tawdry  repetitions  of  the  Ossianic  phraseology  disgusted  me 
rather  sooner  than  might  have  been  expected  from  mj'  age. 
But  Spenser  I  could  have  read  forever.  Too  3'oung  to 
trouble  myself  about  the  allegory,  I  considered  all  the 
knights  and  ladies  and  dragons  and  giants  in  their  outward 
and  exoteric  sense,  and  God  only  knows  how  delighted  T 
was  to   find   m3'self  in  such    societj'.     As   I  had   always    a 


xxiv  AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 

wonderful  facility  in  retaining  in  my  memory  whatever  verses 
pleased  me,  the  quantity  of  Spenser's  stanzas  which  I  could 
repeat  was  really  marvellous.  But  this  memory  of  mine 
was  a  very  fickle  ally,  and  has  through  my  whole  life  acted 
merely  upon  its  own  capricious  motion,  and  might  have 
enabled  me  to  adopt  old  Beattie  of  Meikledale's  answer, 
when  complimented  by  a  certain  reverend  divine  on  the 
strength  of  the  same  faculty:  "No,  sir,"  answered  the  old 
Borderer,  "I  have  no  command  of  my  memory.  It  only 
retains  what  hits  my  fancy ;  and  probably,  sir,  if  you  were 
to  preach  to  me  for  two  hours,  I  would  not  be  able  when 
you  finished  to  remember  a  word  you  had  been  saying." 
My  memory  was  precisely  of  the  same  kind :  it  seldom 
failed  to  preserve  most  tenaciously  a  favorite  passage  of 
poetry,  a  play-house  ditty,  or,  above  all,  a  Border-raid 
ballad;  but  names,  dates,  and  the  other  technicalities  of 
history  escaped  me  in  a  most  melancholy  degree.  The 
philosophy  of  history,  a  much  more  important  subject,  was 
also  a  sealed  book  at  this  period  of  my  life  ;  but  I  gradually 
assembled  much  of  what  was  striking  and  picturesque  in 
historical  narrative ;  and  when,  in  riper  years,  T  attended 
more  to  the  deduction  of  general  principles,  I  was  furnished 
with  a  powerful  host  of  examples  in  illustration  of  them.  I 
was,  in  short,  like  an  ignorant  gamester,  who  kept  up  a  good 
hand  until  he  knew  how  to  play  it. 

I  left  the  High  School,  therefore,  with  a  great  quantity  of 
general  information,  ill  arransjed,  indeed,  and  collected  with- 
out  system  ;  yet  deeply  impressed  upon  my  mind ;  readily 
assorted  by  my  power  of  connection  and  memory,  and  gilded, 
if  I  may  be  permitted  to  say  so,  by  a  vivid  and  active  im- 
agination. If  my  studies  were  not  under  any  direction  at 
Edinburgh,  in  the  country,  it  may  be  well  imagined,  they 
were  less  so.  A  respectable  subscription  library,  a  circulat- 
ing library   of  ancient   standing,    and    some   private   book- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  XXV 

shelves,  were  open  to  ray  random  perusal,  and  I  waded  into 
the  stream  like  a  blind  man  into  a  ford,  without  the  power 
of  searching  m^'  wa}',  unless  by  groping  for  it.  INI}'  appetite 
for  books  was  as  ample  and  indiscriminating  as  it  was  inde- 
fatigable, and  I  since  have  had  too  frequently  reason  to 
repent  that  few  ever  read  so  much,  and  to  so  little  purpose. 

Among  the  valuable  acquisitions  I  made  about  this  time, 
was  an  acquaintance  with  Tasso's  Jerusalem  Delivered,  But, 
above  all,  I  then  first  became  acquainted  with  Bishop  Percy's 
Reliques  of  Ancient  Poetry.  I  remember  well  the  spot 
where  I  read  these  volumes  for  the  first  time.  It  was 
beneath  a  huge  platauus-tree,  in  the  ruins  of  what  had  been 
intended  for  an  old-fashioned  arbor  in  the  garden  I  have 
mentioned.  The  summer-day  sped  onward  so  fast,  that, 
notwithstanding  the  sharp  appetite  of  thirteen,  I  forgot  the 
hour  of  dinner,  was  sought  for  with  anxiety,  and  was  still 
found  entranced  in  my  intellectual  banquet.  To  read  and  to 
remember  was  in  this  instance  the  same  thing,  and  hence- 
forth I  overwhelmed  my  school-fellows,  and  all  who  would 
hearken  to  me,  with  tragical  recitations  from  the  ballads  of 
Bishop  Percy.  The  first  time,  too,  I  could  scrape  a  few 
shillings  together,  which  were  not  common  occurrences  with 
me,  I  bought  unto  myself  a  copy  of  these  beloved  volumes  ; 
nor  do  I  believe  I  ever  read  a  book  half  so  frequently,  or 
with  half  the  enthusiasm.  About  this  period  also  I  became 
acquainted  with  the  works  of  Richardson,  and  those  of 
INIackenzie,  with  Fielding,  Smollet,  and  some  others  of  our 
best  novelists. 

To  this  period  also  I  can  trace  distinctl}'  the  awaking  of 
that  delightful  feeling  for  the  beauties  of  natural  objects 
which  has  never  since  deserted  me.  The  neighborhood  of 
Kelso,  the  most  beautiful,  if  not  the  most  romantic  village 
in  Scotland,  is  eminently  calculated  to  awaken  these  ideas. 

From  this  time  the  love  of  natural  beauty,  more  especially 


XXVI  .  AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 

when  combined  with  ancient  ruins,  or  remains  of  our  fathers' 
piety  or  splendor,  became  with  me  an  insatiable  passion, 
which,  if  circumstances  had  permitted,  I  would  willingly 
have  gratified  by  travelling  over  half  the  globe. 

If,  however,  it  should  ever  fall  to  the  lot  of  youth  to 
peruse  these  pages  —  let  such  a  reader  remember,  that  it  is 
with  the  deepest  regret  that  I  recollect  in  my  manhood  the 
opportunities  of  learning  which  I  neglected  in  m}-  ^^outh ; 
that  through  every  part  of  my  literary  career  I  have  felt 
pinched  and  hampered  by  m}^  own  ignorance ;  and  that  I 
would  at  this  moment  give  half  the  reputation  I  have  had 
the  good  fortune  to  acquire,  if  by  doing  so  I  could  rest  the 
remaining  part  upon  a  sound  foundation  of  learning  and 
science. 


LIFE    OF   SCOTT. 


ABRIDGED    MAINLY   FROM   LOCKHART   AND    HUTTON. 


AS  Scott  grew  up,  entered  the  classes  of  the  college, 
and  began  his  legal  studies,  first  as  apprentice  to  his 
father,  and  then  in  the  law  classes  of  the  University,  he 
became  noticeable  to  all  his  friends  for  his  gigantic  memory 
and  the  rich  stores  of  romantic  material  with  which  it  was 
loaded. 

His  reading  was  almost  all  in  the  direction  of  militar}- 
exploit,  or  romance  and  mediaeval  legend  and  the  later  bor- 
der songs  of  his  own  country.  He  learned  Italian  and  read 
Ariosto.  Later  he  learned  Spanish  and  devoured  Cervantes, 
whose  '•'■  novelas^'"  he  said,  "first  inspired  him  with  the 
ambition  to  excel  in  fiction  " ;  and  all  that  he  read  and 
admired  he  remembered. 

It  might  be  supposed  that,  with  these  romantic  tastes, 
Scott  could  scarcely  have  made  much  of  a  lawyer,  though 
the  inference  would,  I  believe,  be  quite  mistaken.  His 
father,  however,  reproached  him  with  being  better  fitted  for 
a  pedlar  than  a  lawyer,  —  so  persistently  did  he  trudge  over 
all  the  neighboring  counties  in  search  of  the  beauties  of 
nature  and  the  historic  associations  of  battle,  siege,  or 
legend. 

In  spite  of  all  tliis  love  of  excitement,  Scott  became  a 
sound  lawyer,  and  might  have  been  a  great  one,  had  not 
his  pride  of  character,  the  impatience  of  his  genius,  and  the 
stir  of  his  imagination  rendered  liim  indisposed  to  wait  and 


xxviii  LIFE   OF   SCOTT. 

slave   iu   the    precise   manner  which   the   prepossessions   of 
solicitors  appoint. 

He  continued  to  practise  at  the  bar  — nominal!}^  at  least— 
for  fourteen  years,  but  the  life  of  literature  and  the  life  of 
the  bar  hardly  ever  suit,  and  in  Scott's  case  they  suited  the 
less,  that  he  felt  himself  likely  to  l)e  a  dictator  in  the  one 
field,  and  only  a  postulant  in  the  other.  Literature  was  a 
far  greater  gainer  by  his  choice  than  law  could  have  been 
a  loser.  For  his  capacity  for  the  law  he  shared  with  thou- 
sands of  able  men,  his  capacity  for  literature  with  few  or  none. 

Love  and  Marriage. 

One  Sunday,  about  two  years  before  his  call  to  the  bar, 
Scott  offered  his  umbrella  to  a  young  lady  of  much  beauty 
who  was  coming  out  of  the  Greyfriars  Church  during  a 
shower ;  the  umbrella  was  graciously  accepted ;  and  it  was 
not  an  unprecedented  consequence  that  Scott  fell  in  love  with 
the  borrower,  who  turned  out  to  be  Margaret,  daughter  of 
Sir  John  and  Lady  Jane  Stuart  Belches,  of  Ivernay.  For 
near  six  years  after  this,  Scott  indulged  the  hope  of  marrying 
this  lady,  and  it  does  not  seem  doubtful  that  the  lady  herself 
was  in  part  responsible  for  this  impression. 

For  some  reason  this  strong  attachment  was  broken  off. 
It  may  have  been  on  account  of  some  disagreement  between 
the  young  people  themselves,  but  most  likely  from  a  differ- 
ence in  the  rank  of  the  parties.  It  was  his  first  and  only  deep 
passion,  so  far  as  ever  can  be  known  to  us,  and  had  a  great 
influence  on  his  after  life,  both  in  keeping  him  free  from 
some  of  the  most  dangerous  temptations  in  life  during  his 
youth,  and  in  creating  in  him  an  interior  world  of  dreams  and 
recollections,  on  which  his  imagination  was  continually  fed. 

The  pride  which  was  always  so  notable  a  feature  in  Scott 
probably  sustained  him  through  the  keen  inward  pain 
which  it  is  very  certain  from  a  great  many  of  his  own  words 


LIFE    OF   SCOTT.  xxix 

that  he  must  have  suffered  in  this  uprooting  of  his  most  pas- 
sionate hopes.  And  it  was  in  part  probably  the  same  pride 
which  led  him  to  form,  within  the  year,  a  new  tie  —  his 
engagement  to  Mademoiselle  Charpentier,  or  Miss  Carpenter, 
as  she  was  usually  called,  —  the  daughter  of  a  French 
royalist  of  Lj'ons  who  had  died  early  in  the  revolution. 

She  made  on  the  whole  a  very  good  wife,  only  one  to  be 
protected  b}^  him  from  every  care,  and  not  one  to  share 
Scott's  deeper  anxieties  or  to  participate  in  his  dreams. 

Border  Minstrelsy  and  Maturer  Poems. 

Ever  since  his  earliest  college  da3'S  Scott  had  been  collecting, 
in  those  excursions  of  his  into  Liddesdale  and  elsewhere, 
materials  for  a  book  on  The  3Iinstrelsy  of  the  Scottish 
Border ;  and  the  publication  of  this  work,  in  January,  1802, 
was  his  first  great  literary  success.  The  whole  edition  of 
eight  hundred  copies  was  sold  within  the  3'ear,  while  the 
skill  and  care  which  Scott  had  devoted  to  the  historical  illus- 
tration of  the  ballads,  and  the  force  and  spirit  of  his  own  new 
ballads,  written  in  imitation  of  the  old,  gained  him  at  once  a 
very  high  literary  name.    And  the  name  was  well  deserved. 

Scott's  genius  flowered  late.  It  was  not  until  he  was  already 
thirtv-one  vears  of  age  that  he  wrote  the  first  canto  of  his  first 
great  romance  in  verse,  The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel.  Jeffrey 
says  of  the  three  poems  :  "  The  Lay,  if  I  ma}^  venture  to  state 
the  creed  now  established,  is,  I  should  say,  generally  considered 
as  the  most  natural  and  original,  Marmion  as  the  most  power- 
ful and  splendid.  The  Lady  of  the  Lake  as  the  most  interesting, 
romantic,  picturesque,  and  graceful  of  his  great  poems." 

It  is  in  painting  those  moods  and  exploits,  in  relation  to 
which  Scott  shares  most  completely  the  feelings  of  ordinary 
men,  but  experiences  them  with  far  greater  strength  and 
purity  than  ordinary  men,  that  he  triumphs  as  a  poet. 


XXX  LIFE   OF   SCOTT. 

His  romance  is  like  his  native  scenery,  —  bold,  bare,  and 
rngged,  with  a  swift,  deep  stream  of  strong,  pure  feeling  run- 
ning through  it.  There  is  plent}'  of  color  in  his  pictures, 
as  there  is  on  the  Scotch  hills  when  the  heather  is  out.  And 
so  too  there  is  plenty  of  intensity  in  his  romantic  situations  ; 
but  it  is  the  intensity  of  simple,  natural,  unsophisticated, 
hardy,  and  manly  characters. 

Partnership  with  the  Ballantyne  Brothers. 

Before  proceeding  further  with  Scott's  life,  it  may  be  well 
to  mention  briefly  his  commercial  relations  with  the  Ballan- 
tyne Brothers,  which  had  such  an  important  bearing  on  the 
rest  of  his  life. 

About  the  3^ear  1805,  before  he  had  any  idea  of  the  gains 
he  might  derive  from  his  writings,  and  while  his  income  from 
other  sources  was  very  limited,  he  formally,  but  secretly, 
entered  into  the  printing  business  as  a  partner  with  his  old 
schoolmate,  James  Ballantyne. 

Although  Ballantyne  kept  his  accounts  in  a  loose  way,  he 
otherwise  managed  the  business  fairly  well ;  and  it  might 
have  proved  a  good  investment  had  not  Scott  soon  after,  in 
order  to  furnish  work  to  the  printing-office,  engaged  in  the 
publishing  and  book-selling  business  with  John  Ballantyne. 

Great  risks  attend  this  business,  requiring  good  financial 
ability,  a  large  acquaintance  with  men,  sound  judgment,  and 
close  application ;  yet  Scott  selected  a  frivolous  man  of 
pleasure,  with  neither  character  or  capacity,  as  a  partner, 
relying  probably  on  his  own  judgment  for  managing  the 
publishing  house.  For  such  a  task  he  was  wholly  unfitted. 
Because  he  was  fond  of  antiquarian  and  historical  re- 
searches, he  supposed  the  people  were  eager  for  such  read- 
ing ;  and  because  some  of  his  friends  desired  to  write 
unsalable  books,  he  could  not  refuse  to  publish  them; 
It  is  not  sufficient  for  a  publisher  to  ascertain  that  the  book 


LIFE   OF   SCOTT.  xxxi 

offered  is  a  good  one,  but  he  must  know  whether  it  is  so  well 
adapted  to  the  times  and  the  wants  of  the  community  as  to 
command  a  reasonable  sale. 

Besides  the  firm's  making  so  many  bad  investments,  John 
Ballant^-ne  was  squandering  its  money  in  dissipation,  so 
that  Scott  was  kept  in  constant  fear  of  bankruptcy  all 
through  the  years  1813  and  1814 ;  and  it  was  not  until  the 
publication  of  Waverley,  opening  up  the  richest  vein  in  his 
own  genius  and  popularity,  that  these  alarms  were  ended. 

So  great  was  the  success  of  this  novel  that  the  leading  pub- 
lishers were  very  eager  to  purchase  a  share  in  it  and  subse- 
quent issues.  Constable,  of  Edinburgh,  secured  the  works, 
but  on  condition  that  he  should  buy  also  a  large  part  of  the 
worthless  stock  of  John  Ballantyne  &  Co.  This  sale  enabled 
Scott  to  wind  up  that  unfortunate  enterprise  fairly  well, 
although  the  printing  house  of  James  Ballantyne  &  Co.  still 
held  some  of  their  notes,  and  Constable,  on  whom  he  was 
depending  for  money  to  extend  his  estate,  build  his  castle, 
and  pay  his  other  expenses,  was  seriously  crippled  by  the 
purchase  of  all  this  unsalable  stock. 

The  Waverley  Novels. 

In  the  summer  of  1814,  Scott  took  up  again  and  completed 
—  almost  at  a  single  heat  —  a  fragment  of  a  Jacobite  story 
begun  in  1805  and  then  laid  aside.  It  was  published  anou}'- 
mously,  and  its  astonishing  success  turned  back  again  the 
scales  of  Scott's  fortunes,  already  inclining  ominously 
towards  a  catastrophe.     This  story  was  Waverley. 

Scott's  method  of  composition  was  always  the  same  ;  and, 
when  writing  an  imaginative  work,  the  rate  of  progress 
seems  to  have  been  pretty  even,  depending  much  more  on  the 
absence  of  disturbing  engagements  than  on  any  mental 
irregularity.  The  morning  was  always  his  brightest  time ; 
but  morning  or  evening,  in  countr}'  or  in  town,  well  or  ill, 


XXXll  LIFE   OF   SCOTT. 

writing  with  his  own  pen  or  dictating  to  an  amanuensis  in 
the  intervals  of  screaming-fits  due  to  the  torture  of  cramp  in 
the  stomach,  Scott  spun  away  at  his  imaginative  web  almost 
as  evenl}^  as  a  silkworm  spins  at  its  golden  cocoon. 

In  the  fourteen  most  effective  years  of  Scott's  literary  life, 
during  which  he  wrote  twenty-three  novels  besides  sliorter 
tales,  the  best  stories  appear  to  have  been  on  the  whole  the 
most  rapidly  written,  probably  because  they  took  the  strong- 
est hold  of  the  author's  imagination. 

But  though,  to  our  larger  experience,  Scott's  achievement, 
in  respect  of  mere  fertility,  is  by  no  means  the  miracle  which 
it  once  seemed,  I  do  not  think  one  of  his  successors  can  com- 
pare with  him  for  a  moment  in  the  ease  and  truth  with  which 
he  painted,  not  merely  the  life  of  his  own  time  and  country  — 
seldom  indeed  that  of  precisely  his  own  time,  —  but  that  of 
days  long  past,  and  often  too  of  scenes  far  distant.  The 
most  powerful  of  all  his  stories,  Old  Mortality,  was  the  story 
of  a  period  more  than  a  century  and  a  quarter  before  he 
wrote;  and  others  —  which,  though  inferior  to  this  in  force, 
are  nevertheless,  when  compared  with  the  so-called  historical 
romances  of  any  other  English  writer,  what  sunlight  is  to 
moonlight,  if  you  can  say  as  much  for  the  latter  as  to  admit 
even  that  comparison  —  go  back  to  the  period  of  the  Tudors, 
that  is,  two  centuries  and  a  half.  Quentin  Durward  runs  back 
farther  still,  far  into  the  previous  century,  while  Ivmihoe  and 
The  Talisman  carry  us  back  more  than  five  hundred  years. 

The  most  striking  feature  of  Scott's  romances  is  that,  for 
the  most  part,  they  are  pivoted  on  public  rather  than  mere 
private  interests  and  passions.  With  but  few  exceptions  — 
( The  Antiquary,  St.  Ronan's  Well,  and  Guy  Mannerhuj  are 
the  most  important)  —  Scott's  novels  give  us  an  imaginative 
view,  not  of  mere  individuals,  but  of  individuals  as  they  are 
affected  by  the  public  strifes  and  social  divisions  of  the  age. 
No  man  can  read  Scott  without  being  more  of  a  public  man. 


LIFE   OF   SCOTT.  xxxiii 

Scott  in  Adversity. 

With  the  3'ear  1825  came  a  financial  crisis,  and  Constable 
began  to  tremble  for  his  solvency.  From  the  date  of  his 
baronetcy  (1820) ,  Sir  Walter  had  launched  out  into  a  consider- 
able increase  of  expenditure.  He  got  plans  on  a  rather  large 
scale  in  .1821  for  the  extension  of  Abbotsford,  which  were  all 
carried  out.  To  meet  his  expenses  in  this  and  other  ways  he 
received  Constable's  bills  for  "four  unnamed  works  of  fic- 
tion," of  which  he  had  not  written  a  line. 

Nor  were  the  obligations  he  incurred  on  his  own  account, 
or  that  of  his  family,  the  only  ones  by  which  he  was  bur- 
dened. He  was  always  iacurring  expenses,  often  heavy  ex- 
penses, for  other  people.  Such  obligations,  however,  would 
have  been  nothing  when  compared  with  Sir  Walter's  means, 
had  all  his  bills  on  Constable  been  dul}^  honored,  and  had 
not  the  printing  firm  of  Ballantyne  and  Co.  been  so  deepl}' 
involved  with  Constable's  house  that  it  necessaril}'  became 
insolvent  when  he  stopped.  Taken  altogether,  I  believe 
that  Sir  Walter  earned  during  his  own  lifetime  at  least 
£140,000  by  his  literary  work  alone,  probabl}'  more  ;  while 
even  on  his  land  and  building  combined  he  did  not  appar- 
ently spend  more  than  half  that  sum. 

Thus  even  his  loss  of  the  price  of  several  novels  by  Con- 
stable's failure  would  not  seriously  have  compromised  Scott's 
position,  but  for  his  share  in  the  printing-house,  which  fell 
with  Constable,  and  the  obligations  of  which  amounted  to 
£117,000. 

As  Scott  had  always  forestalled  his  income,  —  spending 
the  purchase-mone}'  of  his  poems  and  novels  before  they 
were  written,  —  such  a  failure  as  this,  at  the  age  of  fiftj'-five, 
when  all  the  freshness  of  his  youth  was  gone  out  of  him, 
when  he  saw  his  son's  prospects  blighted  as  well  as  his  own, 
and  knew  perfectly   that  James   Ballantyne,   unassisted  by 


xxxiv  LIFE   OF   SCOTT. 

him,  could  never  hope  to  pay  any  fraction  of  the  debt  worth 
mentioning,  would  have  been  paralyzing,  had  he  not  been  a 
man  of  iron  nerve,  and  of  a  pride  and  courage  hardly  ever 
equalled.  Domestic  calamity,  too,  was  not  far  off.  For  two 
years  he  had  been  watching  the  failure  of  his  wife's  health 
with  increasing  anxiety,  and,  as  calamities  seldom  come 
single,  her  illness  took  a  most  serious  form  at  the  very  time 
when  the  blow  fell,  and  she  died  within  four  months  of  the 
failure.  Nay,  Scott  was  himself  unwell  at  the  critical 
moment,  and  was  taking  sedatives  which  discomposed  his 

brain. 

And  this  was  Scott's  preparation  for  his  failure,  and  the 
bold  resolve  which  followed  it,  —  to  work  for  his  creditors  as 
he  had  worked  for  himself,  and  to  pay  off,  if  possible,  the 
whole  £117,000  by  his  own  literary  exertions. 

His  estate  was  conveyed  to  trustees  for  the  benefit  of  his 
creditors  till  such  time  as  he  should  pay  off  Ballantyne  and 
Co.'s  debt,  which  of  course  in  his  lifetime  he  never  did.  Yet 
between  January,  1826,  and  January,  1828,  he  earned  for 
his  creditors  very  nearly  £40,000.  Woodstock  sold  for  £8228, 
"  a  matchless  sale,"  as  Sir  Walter  remarked,  "  for  less  than 
three  months'  work."  Had  Sir  Walter's  health  lasted,  he 
would  have  redeemed  his  obligations  on  behalf  of  Ballant3^ne 
and  Co.  within  eight  or  nine  years  at  most  from  the  time  of 
his  failure.  But  what  is  more  remarkable  still  is  that  after 
his  health  failed  he  struggled  on  with  little  more  than  half  a 
brain,  but  a  whole  will,  to  work  while  it  was  yet  day,  though 
the  evening  was  dropping  fast. 

Not  only  did  he  row  much  harder  against  the  stream  of 
fortune  than  he  had  ever  rowed  with  it,  but,  what  required 
still  more  resolution,  he  fought  on  against  the  growing  con- 
viction that  his  imagination  would  not  kindle,  as  it  used  to 
do,  to  its  old  heat. 

He  struggled  on  even  to  the  end,  and  did  not  consent  to 


LIFE   OF   SCOTT.  XXXV 

try  the  experiment  of  a  vo3'age  and  visit  to  Italy  till  his 
immediate  work  was  done.  But  the  rest  came  too  late. 
So  intense  and  continuous  had  been  his  application  to  work 
that  even  his  ver}'  robust  constitution  was  so  completely 
exhausted  that  it  was  no  longer  able  to  repair  the  ravages 
of  disease.  He  spent  several  months  abroad,  visiting  Malta, 
Naples,  Rome,  Venice,  and  other  places  of  interest,  without 
improvement.  He  intended  to  visit  Goethe,  but  the  death 
of  the  great  author  at  this  time  changed  his  plans,  increasing 
his  desire  for  an  immediate  return  home.  He  sank  rapidl}', 
becoming  quite  unconscious  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
homeward  journey,  until  his  eye  caught  the  towers  of  Abbotts- 
ford,  when  he  sprang  up  with  a  cr}'  of  delight.  Mr.  Laidlaw, 
a  dear  friend,  was  waiting  for  him,  and  he  met  him  with  a 
cr}',  "Ha!  "Willie  Laidlaw.  O,  man,  how  often  I  have 
thought  of  you ! "  His  dogs  came  round  his  chair,  and 
began  to  fawn  on  him  and  lick  his  hands,  while  Sir  Walter 
smiled  or  sobbed  over  them.  The  next  morning  he  was 
wheeled  about  his  garden,  and  on  the  following  morning  was 
out  in  this  way  for  a  couple  of  hours  ;  within  a  day  or  two 
he  fancied  that  he  could  write  again,  but  on  taking  the  pen 
into  his  hand  his  fingers  could  not  clasp  it,  and  he  sank  back 
with  tears  rolling  down  his  cheek.  Later,  when  Laidlaw 
said  in  his  hearing  that  Sir  Walter  had  had  a  little  repose, 
he  replied,  "No,  Willie;  no  repose  for  Sir  Walter  but  in 
the  grave."  As  the  tears  rushed  from  his  e3'es,  his  old  pride 
revived.  "  Friends,"  he  said,  "  don't  let  me  expose  myself; 
get  me  to  bed,  —  that  is  the  only  place."  A  few  days  after- 
wards, awaking  conscious  and  composed,  he  desired  to  see 
his  son-in-law.  "  Lockhart,"  he  said,  "  I  may  have  but  a 
minute  to  speak  to  you.  My  dear,  be  a  good  man, — be 
virtuous,  —  be  religious,  —  be  a  good  man.  Nothing  else 
will  give  you  an}'  comfort  when  you  come  to  lie  here."  He 
paused,   and  Lockhart  said,  "  Shall  I  send  for  Sophia  and 


xxxvi  LIFE   OF   SCOTT. 

Anne? "  "  No,'*  said  he,  "don't  disturb  them.  Poor  souls  ! 
I  know  they  were  up  all  night.  God  bless  you  all !  "  With 
this  he  sank  into  a  very  tranquil  sleep,  and,  indeed,  he 
scarcely  afterwards  gave  any  sign  of  consciousness.  He 
died  Sept.  21,  1832,  sixty-one  years  and  one  month  old. 

Well  misht  Lord  Chief  Baron  Shepherd  apply  to  Scott 
Cicero's  description  of  some  contemporary  of  his  own,  who 
"  had  borne  adversity  wiseh',  who  had  not  been  broken  by 
fortune,  and  who,  amidst  the  buffets  of  fate,  had  maintained 
his  dignity."  There  was  in  Sir  Walter,  I  think,  at  least  as 
much  of  the  Stoic  as  the  Christian.  But  Stoic  or  Christian, 
he  was  a  hero  of  the  old  indomitable  type.  Even  the  last 
fragments  of  his  imaginative  power  were  all  turned  to  account 
by  that  unconquerable  will,  amidst  the  discouragement  of 
friends,  and  the  still  more  disheartening  doubts  of  his  own 
mind.  Like  the  headland  stemming  a  rough  sea,  he  was 
gradually  worn  away,  but  never  crushed. 

Sir  Walter  certainly  left  his  "name  unstained,"  unless 
the  serious  mistakes  natural  to  a  sanguine  temperament  such 
as  his  are  to  be  counted  as  stains  upon  his  name ;  and  if 
they  are,  where  among  the  sons  of  men  would  you  find  many 
unstained  names  as  noble  as  his  with  such  a  stain  upon  it  ? 
He  was  not  only  sensitively  honorable  in  motive,  but,  when 
he  found  what  evil  his  sanguine  temper  had  worked,  he  used 
his  gigantic  powers  to  repair  it,  and,  as  a  result  of  these 
almost  superhuman  efforts,  within  fifteen  years  after  Sir 
Walter's  death,  the  debt  was  at  last,  through  the  value  of 
the  copyrights  he  had  left  behind  him,  finally  extinguished, 
and  the  small  estate  of  Abbotsford  left  cleared.  Sir  Walter's 
effort  to  found  a  new  house  was  even  less  successful  than 
the  effort  to  endow  it. 

The  only  direct  descendant  of  Sir  Walter  Scott  is  now 
Mary  Monica  Hope-Scott,  who  was  born  on  the  2d  October, 
1852,  the  grandchild  of  Mrs.  Lockhart,  and  the  great-grand- 
child of  the  founder  of  Abbotsford. 


LIFE   OF    SCOTT.  XXXvii 


EXTRACTS    FROM    LOCKHART'S    LIFE   OF    SCOTT. 

"I  AM  drawing  near  to  the  close  of  my  career  ;  I  am  fast 
shuffling  off  the  stage.  I  have  been  perhaps  the  most  volu- 
minous author  of  the  da}' ;  and  it  is  a  comfort  to  me  to  think 
that  I  have  tried  to  unsettle  no  man's  faith,  to  coiTupt  no 
man's  principle." 

In  the  social  relations  of  life,  where  men  are  most  effec- 
tually tried,  no  spot  can  be  detected  in  him.  He  was  a 
patient,  dutiful,  reverent  son ;  a  generous,  compassionate, 
tender  husband ;  an  honest,  careful,  and  most  affectionate 
father.  Never  was  a  more  virtuous  or  a  happier  fireside 
than  his.  The*  influence  of  his  mightv  o'enius  shadowed  it 
imperceptiblj' ;  his  calm  good  sense,  and  his  angelic  sweet- 
ness of  heart  and  temper,  regulated  and  softened  a  strict  but 
paternal  discipline.  His  children,  as  they  grew  up,  under- 
stood b}'  degrees  the  high  privilege  of  their  birth ;  but  the 
profoundest  sense  of  his  greatness  never  disturbed  their  con- 
fidence in  his  goodness. 

Perhaps  the  most  touching  evidence  of  the  lasting  tender- 
ness of  his  earl}'  domestic  feelings  was  exhibited  to  his 
executors,  when  the}'  opened  his  repositories  in  search  of  his 
testament,  the  evening  after  his  burial.  On  lifting  up  his 
desk,  we  found  arranged  in  careful  order  a  series  of  little 
objects,  which  had  obviously  been  so  placed  there  that  his 
eye  might  rest  on  them  every  morning  before  he  began  his 
tasks.  These  were  the  old-fashioned  boxes  that  had  gar- 
nished his  mother's  toilet,  when  he,  a  sickly  child,  slept  in 
her  dressing-room;  the  silver  taper-stand  which  the  young 
advocate  had  bought  for  her  with  his  first  five-guinea  fee ; 
a  row  of  small  packets  inscribed  with  her  hand,  and  contain- 
ing the  hair  of  those  of  her  offspring  that  had  died  before 
her ;  his  father's  snuff-box  and  etui-case ;  and  more  things 


XXXviii  LIFE   OF    SCOTT. 

of  the  like  sort,  recalling  the  "  old  familiar  faces."  The 
same  feeling  was  apparent  in  all  the  arrangement  of  his  pri- 
vate apartment.  Pictures  of  his  father  and  mother  were  the 
only  ones  in  his  dressing-room.  The  clumsy  antique  cabi- 
nets that  stood  there,  things  of  a  ver}'  different  class  from 
the  beautiful  and  costly  productions  in  the  public  rooms 
below,  had  all  belonged  to  the  furniture  of  George's  Square. 
Even  his  father's  rickety  washing-stand,  with  all  its  cramped 
appurtenances,  though  exceedingly  unlike  what  a  man  of  his 
very  scrupulous  habits  would  have  selected  in  these  days, 
kept  its  ground.  The  whole  place  seemed  fitted  up  like  a 
little  chapel  of  the  Lares. 

Such  a  son  and  parent  could  hardly  fail  in  any  of  the  other 
social  relations.  No  man  was  a  firmer  or  more  indefati2:able 
friend.  I  knew  not  that  he  ever  lost  one  ;  and  a  few,  with 
whom,  during  the  energetic  middle  stage  of  life,  from  politi- 
cal differences  or  other  accidental  circumstances,  he  lived 
less  familiarly,  had  all  gathered  round  him,  and  renewed  the 
full  warmth  of  early  affection  in  his  later  days.  There  was 
enough  to  dignify  the  connection  in  their  eyes,  but  nothing 
to  chill  it  on  either  side.  The  imagination  that  so  completely 
mastered  him,  when  he  chose  to  give  her  the  rein,  was  kept 
under  most  determined  control  when  any  of  the  positive 
obligations  of  active  life  came  into  question.  A  high  and 
pure  sense  of  duty  presided  over  whatever  he  had  to  do  as  a 
citizen  and  a  magistrate  ;  and,  as  a  landlord,  he  considered 
his  estate  as  an  extension  of  his  hearth. 

But  his  moral,  political,  and  religious  character  has  suf- 
ficiently impressed  itself  upon  the  great  body  of  his  writings. 
He  is  indeed  one  of  the  few  great  authors  of  modern  Europe 
who  stand  acquitted  of  having  written  a  line  that  ought  to 
have  embittered  the  bed  of  death.  His  works  teach  the 
practical  lessons  of  morality  and  Christianity  in  the  most 
captivating  form  —  unobtrusively  and  unaffectedly. 


LIFE   OF   SCOTT.  XXXIX 

The  race  that  grew  up  under  the  influence  of  that  intellect 
can  hardly  be  expected  to  appreciate  full}^  their  own  obliga- 
tions to  it :  and  yet,  if  we  consider  what  were  the  tendencies 
of  the  minds  and  works  that,  but  for  his,  must  have  been 
unrivalled  in  the  power  and  opportunity  to  mould  young 
ideas,  we  may  picture  to  ourselves  in  some  measure  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  debt  we  owe  to  a  perpetual  succession,  through 
thirty  years,  of  publications  uuapproached  in  charm,  and  all 
instilling  a  high  and  healthy  code  ;  a  bracing,  invigorating 
spirit ;  a  contempt  of  mean  passions,  whether  vindictive  or 
voluptuous ;  humane  charity,  as  distinct  from  moral  laxity 
as  from  unsympathizing  austerity  ;  sagacity  too  deep  for  cyn- 
icism, and  tenderness  never  degenerating  into  sentimentality  : 
animated  throughout  in  thought,  opinion,  feeling,  and  style, 
by  one  and  the  same  pure  energetic  principle  —  a  pith  and 
savor  of  manhood ;  appealing  to  whatever  is  good  and  loyal 
in  our  natures,  and  rebuking  whatever  is  low  and  selfish. 

I  have  no  doubt  that,  the  more  details  of  his  personal  his- 
tory are  revealed  and  studied,  the  more  powerfully  will  that 
be  found  to  inculcate  the  same  great  lessons  with  his  works. 
Where  else  shall  we  be  taught  better  how  prosperity  may  be 
extended  by  beneficence,  and  adversity  confronted  by  exer- 
tion? Where  can  we  see  the  "follies  of  the  wise"  more 
strikingly  rebuked,  and  a  character  more  beautifully  purified 
and  exalted  in  the  passage  through  affliction  to  death? 


JAMES   v.  — THE    HIGHLANDERS    AND   BOR- 
DERERS  OF   SCOTLAND. 


-•o»- 


[It  is  hoped  that  this  brief  outline,  abridged  from  Scott's  "  Tales  of 
a  Grandfather,"  may  not  only  enable  the  reader  to  gain  a  better  knowl- 
edge of  the  poem,  but  also  awaken  an  interest  in  this  important  epoch 
of  Henry  the  Eighth,  and  Elizabeth  of  England,  and  James  V.  and 
Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  and  her  son,  James  VI.,  under  whom  both 
kingdoms  were  united.] 

THERE  were  two  great  divisions  of  the  country  :  namely, 
the  Highlands  and  the  Borders,  which  were  so  much 
wilder  and  more  barbarous  than  the  others,  that  they  might 
be  said  to  be  altogether  without  law  ;  and,  although  they  were 
nominally  subjected  to  the  King  of  Scotland,  yet  when  he 
desired  to  execute  any  justice  in  either  of  these  great  dis- 
tricts, he  could  not  do  so  otherwise  than  by  marching  there 
in  person,  at  the  head  of  a  strong  body  of  forces,  and  seizing 
upon  the  offenders,  and  putting  them  to  death  with  little  or 
no  form  of  trial.  Such  a  rough  course  of  justice,  perhaps, 
made  these  disorderly  countries  quiet  for  a  short  time,  but  it 
rendered  them  still  more  averse  to  the  royal  government  in 
their  hearts,  and  disposed  on  the  slightest  occasion  to  break 
out,  either  into  disorders  amongst  themselves,  or  into  open 
rebeUion.  I  must  give  you  some  more  particular  account  of 
these  wild  and  uncivilized  districts  of  Scotland,  and  of  the 
particular  sort  of  people  who  were  their  inhabitants,  that  you 
may  know  what  I  mean  when  I  speak  of  Highlanders  and 
Borderers. 


xlii  THE  HIGHLANDERS   AND  BORDERERS 

The  Highlands  of  Scotland,  so  called  from  the  rocky  and 
mountainous  character  of  the  country,  consist  of  a  very  large 
proportion  of  the  northern  parts  of  that  kingdom.    It  was  in- 
to these  pathless  wildernesses  that  the   Romans   drove   the 
ancient  inhabitants  of  Great  Britain  ;  and  it  was  from  these 
that  they  afterwards  sallied  to  invade  and  distress  that  part 
of  Britain  which  the  Romans  had  conquered,  and  in  some 
degree  civilized.     The  inhabitants  of  the  Highlands  spoke, 
and  still  speak,  a  language  totally  different  from  the  Lowland 
Scots.     That  last  language  does  not  greatly  differ  from  Eng- 
lish, and  the  inhabitants  of  both  countries  easily  understand 
each  other,  though  neither  of  them  comprehend  the  Gaelic, 
which  is   the   language  of  the  Highlanders.     The  dress  of 
these  mountaineers  was  also  different  from  that  of  the  Low- 
landers.     They  wore  a  plaid,  or  mantle  of  frieze,  or  of  a 
striped  stuff  called  tartan,  one  end  of  which  being   wrapt 
round  the  waist,  formed  a  short  petticoat,  which  descended 
to  the  knee,  while  the  rest  was  folded  round  them  hke  a  sort 
of  cloak.     They  had  buskins  made  of  raw  hide ;  and  those 
who  could  get  a  bonnet,  had  that  covering  for  their  heads, 
though  many  never  wore  one  during  their  whole  lives,  but 
had  only  their  own  shaggy  hair  tied  back  by  a  leathern  strap. 
They  went  always  armed,  carrying  bows  and  arrows,  large 
swords,  which  they  wielded   with  both  hands,   called  clay- 
mores, poleaxes,  and  daggers  for  close  fight.     For  defence, 
they   had  a  round  wooden  shield,  or  target,   stuck  full   of 
nails  ;  and  their  great  men  had  shirts  of  mail,  not  unlike  to 
the  flannel  shirts  now  worn,  only  composed  of  links  of  iron 
Instead  of  threads  of  worsted  ;  but  the  common  men  were  so 
far  from  desiring  armor,  that   they   sometimes   threw  their 
plaids  away,  and  fought  in  their  shirts,  which  they  wore  very 
long  and  large,  after  the  Irish  fashion. 

This  part  of  the  Scottish  nation  was  divided  into  clans, 
that  is,  tribes.     The  persons  composing  each  of  these  clans 


OF  SCOTLAND.  xliii 

believed  themselves  all  to  be  descended,  at  some  distant 
period,  from  the  same  common  ancestor,  whose  name  they 
usually  bore.  Thus,  one  tribe  was  called  MacDonald,  which 
signifies  the  sons  of  Donald ;  another,  MacGregor,  or  the 
sons  of  Gregor ;  MacNeil,  the  sons  of  Neil,  and  so  on. 
Every  one  of  these  tribes  had  its  own  separate  chief,  or 
commander,  whom  they  supposed  to  be  the  immediate  repre- 
sentative of  the  great  father  of  the  tribe  from  whom  they 
were  all  descended.  To  this  chief  they  paid  the  most  un- 
limited obedience,  and  willingly  followed  his  commands  in 
peace  or  war ;  not  caring  altliough,  in  doing  so,  they  trans- 
gressed the  laws  of  the  King,  or  went  into  rebellion  against 
the  King  himself.  Each  tribe  lived  in  a  valley,  or  district  of 
the  mountains,  separated  from  the  others  ;  and  they  often 
made  war  upon,  and  fought  desperately  with,  each  other. 
But  with  Lowlanders  they  were  always  at  war.  They  ditfered 
from  them  in  language,  in  dress,  and  in  manners ;  and  they 
believed  that  the  richer  grounds  of  the  low  country  had  for- 
merly belonged  to  their  ancestors,  and  therefore  they  made 
incursions  upon  it,  and  plundered  it  without  mercy.  The 
Lowlanders,  on  the  other  hand,  equal  in  courage,  and  supe- 
rior in  discipline,  gave  many  severe  checks  to  the  High- 
landers ;  and  thus  there  was  almost  constant  war  or  discord 
between  them,  though  natives  of  the  same  country. 

Some  of  the  most  powerful  of  the  Highland  chiefs  set 
themselves  up  as  independent  sovereigns.  Such  were  the 
famous  Lords  of  the  Isles,  called  MacDonald,  to  whom  the 
island,  called  the  Hebrides,  lying  on  the  north-west  of  Scot- 
land, might  be  said  to  belong  in  property.  These  petty 
sovereigns  made  alliances  with  the  English  in  their  own 
name.  They  took  the  part  of  Robert  the  Bruce  in  the  wars, 
and  joined  him  with  their  forces.  We  shall  find  that,  after 
his  time,  they  gave  great  disturbance  to  Scotland.  The 
Lords  of  Lorn,  MacDougals  by  name,  were  also  extremely 


xlvi       .THE  HIGHLANDERS  AND  BORDERERS 

unrelenting  cruelty,  slaughtering  the  fugitives,  executing  the 
prisoners,  and  laying  waste  the  country,  being  determined  to 
crush  out  the  last  spark  of  this  power  that  had  for  so  many 
centuries  disturbed  the  peace  of  both  kingdoms. 

Fine  military  roads  were  built  into  those  inaccessible  glens 
and  wild  mountains,  enabling  the  government  to  execute  the 
laws  throughout  the  realm.  Severe  laws,  also,  were  passed, 
forbidding  the  wearing  of  the  plaid,  the  national  costume, 
and  the  bearing  of  arms. 

These  measures  were  entirely  successful  in  breaking  down 
this  patriarchal  system ;  and,  although  they  seemed  unnec- 
essarily harsh  at  the  time,  in  the  end  they  proved  wise  and 
beneficent.  The  Highlanders,  no  longer  able  to  subsist  on 
plundering  the  Lowlanders,  were  obliged  to  turn  their  atten- 
tion to  some  other  means  of  gaining  a  living.  Some  emi- 
grated to  America,  others  enlisted  in  foreign  armies,  but  the 
great  majority  settled  down  to  an  agricultural  life.  Mingling 
together  in  peaceful  pursuits,  the  difference  between  High- 
lander and  Lowlander  soon  disappeared,  and  they  became 
one  people,  prosperous  and  happy. 


Jasies  V.  OF  Scotland.  —  1513-1542. 

James  V.  (James  Fitz-James  of  the  poem)  was  the  son  of 
James  the  Fourth  of  Scotland,  and  Margaret,  sister  of 
Henry  the  Eighth  of  England.  His  father  having  lost  his 
life  on  the  battlefield  of  Flodden,  the  son  became  king  when 
but  a  child  of  less  than  two  years  of  age.  For  a  while,  his 
mother  managed  the  affairs  of  the  kingdom  as  regent ;  but,  be- 
coming unpopular,  she  not  only  lost  the  regency,  but  also  the 
control  of  her  son,  who  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  powerful 
family  of  the  Douglases,  who,  although  governing  in  the  name 
of  the  young  king,  nevertheless  kept  him  under  such  careful 


OF   SCOTLAND.  xlvii 

guard  that  the  restraint  became  very  irksome  to  him,  and  he 
determined  to  escape  from  their  power.  In  two  attempts  by 
force  he  was  unsuccessful ;  but  finally,  on  pretence  of  going 
hunting,  he  escaped  from  his  captivity,  and  fled  into  the 
strong  fortress  of  Stirling  Castle,  whose  governor  was 
friendly  to  him.  Here  he  assembled  around  him  the  nu- 
merous nobilitv  favorable  to  him,  and  threatened  to  declare 
a  traitor  any  of  the  name  of  Douglas  who  should  approach 
within  twelve  miles  of  liis  person,  or  who  should  attempt  to 
meddle  with  the  administration  of  government.  He  retained, 
ever  after,  this  implacable  resentment  against  the  Douglases, 
not  permitting  one  of  the  name  to  settle  in  Scotland  while  he 
lived.  James  was  especially  ungenerous  to  one  Archibald 
Douglas  of  Kilspindie,  the  one  mentioned  in  the  poem  who 
had  been  a  favorite  of  the  voung;  Kino-.  He  was  noted  for 
great  strength,  manly  appearance,  and  skill  in  all  kinds  of 
exercises.  When  an  old  man,  becomino-  tired  of  his  exile  in 
England,  he  resolved  to  try  the  King's  mercy,  thinking  that, 
as  he  had  not  personally  offended  James,  he  might  find  favor 
on  account  of  their  old  intimacy.  He  therefore  threw  himself 
in  the  King's  wav  one  dav  as  he  returned  from  huntins^  in 
the  Park  at  Stirling.  Although  it  was  several  years  since 
James  had  seen  him,  he  knew  him  at  a  great  distance  by  his 
firm  and  stately  step.  When  they  met  he  showed  no  sign  of 
recognizing  his  old  servant.  i)ouglas  turned,  hoping  still 
to  obtain  a  glance  of  favorable  recollection,  and  ran  along 
by  the  King's  side ;  and,  although  James  trotted  his  horse 
hard,  and  Douglas  wore  a  heavy  shirt  of  mail,  yet  he  reached 
the  castle  gate  as  soon  as  the  King.  James  passed  b}'  him, 
without  the  slightest  sign  of  recognition,  and  entered  the 
castle.  Douglas,  exhausted,  sat  down  at  the  gate  and  asked 
for  a  cup  of  wine ;  but  no  domestic  dared  to  oflfer  it.  The 
King,  however,  blamed  this  discourtesy  in  his  servants,  say- 
ing that,  but  for  his  oath,  he  would  have  received  Archibald 


xlviii  THE  HIGHLANDERS  AND  BORDERERS 

into  his  service.     Yet  he  sent  his  command  for  him  to  retire 
to  France,  where  the  old  man  soon  died  of  a  broken  heart. 

Freed  from  the  stern  control  of  the  Douglas  family,  James 
V.  now  began  to  exercise  the  government  in  person,  and  dis- 
played most  of  the  qualities  of  a  wise  and  good  prince.  He 
was  handsome  in  his  person,  and  resembled  his  father  in  the 
fondness  for  military  exercises,  and  the  spirit  of  chivalrous 
honor  which  James  IV.  loved  to  display.  He  also  inherited 
his  father's  love  of  justice,  and  his  desire  to  estabhsh  and 
enforce  wise  and  equal  laws,  which  should  protect  the  weak 
against  the  oppression  of  the  great.  It  was  easy  enough  to 
make  laws,  but  to  put  them  in  vigorous  exercise  was  of  much 
greater  difficulty  ;  and,  in  his  attempt  to  accomplish  this  laud- 
able purpose,  James  often  incurred  the  ill-will  of  the  more 
powerful  nobles.  He  was  a  well-educated  and  accomplished 
man,  and,  like  his  ancestor,  James  I.,  was  a  poet  and  musi- 
cian. He  had,  however,  his  defects.  He  avoided  his  father's 
failing  of  profusion,  having  no  hoarded  treasures  to  employ 
on  pomp  and  show  ;  but  he  rather  fell  into  the  opposite  fault, 
being  of  a  temper  too  parsimonious  ;  and,  though  he  loved 
state  and  display,  he  endeavored  to  gratify  that  taste  as 
economically  as  possible,  so  that  he  has  been  censured  as 
rather  close  and  covetous.  He  was  also,  though  the  foibles 
seem  inconsistent,  fond  of  pleasure,  and  disposed  to  too 
much  indulgence.  It  must  be  added  that,  when  provoked, 
he  was  unrelenting  even  to  cruelty ;  for  which  he  had  some 
apology,  considering  the  ferocity  of  the  subjects  over  whom 
he  reio-ned.  But,  on  the  whole,  James  Y.  was  an  amiable 
man  and  a  good  sovereign. 

His  first  care  was  to  bring  the  Borders  of  Scotland  to  some 
deo-ree  of  order.  As  before  stated,  these  were  inhabited  by 
tribes  of  men,  forming  each  a  different  clan,  as  they  were 
called,  and  obeying  no  orders,  save  those  which  were  given 
by  their  chiefs.    These  chiefs  were  supposed  to  represent  the 


OF   SCOTLAND.  xlix 

first  founder  of  the  name  or  family.  The  attachment  of  the 
clansmen  to  the  chief  was  very  great ;  indeed,  the}'  paid 
respect  to  no  one  else.  In  this  the  Borderers  agreed  with  the 
Highlanders,  as  also  in  tlieii-  love  of  plunder  and  neglect  of 
the  o-eneral  laws  of  the  country.  But  the  Border  men  wore 
no  tartan  dress,  and  served  almost  always  on  horseback, 
whereas  the  Highlanders  acted  always  on  foot.  The  Bor- 
derers spoke  the  Scottish  language,  and  not  the  Gaelic 
tongue  used  by  the  mountaineers. 

The  situation  of  these  clans  on  the  frontiers  exposed  them 
to  constant  war  ;  so  that  they  thought  of  nothing  else  but  of 
collecting  bands  of  their  followers  together,  and  making  in- 
cursions, without  much  distinction,  on  the  English,  on  the 
Lowland  (or  inland)  Scots,  or  upon  each  other.  They  paid 
little  respect  either  to  times  of  truce  or  treaties  of  peace,  but 
exercised  their  depredations  without  regard  to  either,  and 
often  occasioned  wars  betwixt  England  and  Scotland  which 
would  not  otherwise  have  taken  place. 

James'  first  step  was  to  secure  the  persons  of  the  principal 
chieftains  by  whom  these  disorders  were  privately  encour- 
aged, and  who  might  have  opposed  his  purposes,  and  im- 
prison them  in  separate  fortresses. 

He  then  assembled  an  army,  in  which  warlike  purposes 
were  united  with  those  of  S3'lvan  sport ;  for  he  ordered  all  the 
gentlemen,  in  the  wild  districts  which  he  intended  to  visit,  to 
bring  in  their  best  dogs,  as  if  his  only  purpose  had  been  to 
hunt  the  deer  in  those  desolate  regions.  This  was  intended 
to  prevent  the  Borderers  from  taking  the  alarm,  in  which 
case  the}'  would  have  retreated  into  their  mountains  and 
fastnesses,  from  whence  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  dis- 
lodge them. 

These  men  had  indeed  no  distinct  idea  of  the  offences 
which  they  had  committed,  and  consequently  no  apprehension 
of  the  King's  displeasure  against  them.     The  laws  had  been 


1  THE   HIGHLANDERS   AND  BORDERERS 

SO  long  silent  in  that  remote  and  disorderly  country,,  that  the 
outrages  which  were  practised  by  the  strong  against  the 
weak  seemed  to  the  perpetrators  the  natural  course  of 
society,  and  to  present  nothing  that  was  worthy  of  punish- 
ment. Thus  the  King  suddenl}"  approached  the  castles  of 
tliese  great  lords  and  barons,  while  they  were  preparing  a 
great  entertainment  to  welcome  him,  and  caused  them  to  be 
seized  and  executed. 

There  is  reason  to  censure  the  extent  to  which  James  car- 
ried his  severity,  as  being  to  a  certain  degree  impolitic,  and 
beyond  doubt  cruel  and  excessive. 

In  the  like  manner,  James  proceeded  against  the  Highland 
chiefs ;  and,  by  executions,  forfeitures,  and  other  severe 
measures,  he  brought  the  Northern  mountaineers,  as  he  had 
alread}^  done  those  of  the  South,  into  comparative  subjection. 

Such  were  the  effects  of  the  terror  struck  by  these  general 
executions,  that  James  was  said  to  have  made  "  the  rush 
bush  keep  the  cow  "  ;  that  is  to  say,  that,  even  in  this  law- 
less part  of  the  country,  men  dared  no  longer  make  free  with 
property,  and  cattle  might  remain  on  their  pastures  un- 
watched.  James  was  also  enabled  to  draw  profit  from  the 
lands  which  the  crown  possessed  near  the  Borders,  and  is 
said  to  have  had  ten  thousand  sheep  at  one  time  grazing  in 
Ettrick  forest,  under  the  keeping  of  one  Andrew  Bell,  who 
gave  the  King  as  good  an  account  of  the  flock  as  if  they  had 
been  grazing  in  the  bounds  of  Fife,  then  the  most  civilized 
part  of  Scotland. 

James  V.  had  a  custom  of  going  about  the  country  dis- 
guised as  a  private  person,  in  order  that  he  might  hear  com- 
plaints which  might  not  otherwise  reach  his  ears,  and, 
perhaps,  that  he  might  enjo}'  amusement  which  he  could  not 
have  partaken  of  in  his  avowed  royal  character. 

He  was  also  ver}'  fond  of  hunting,  and,  when  he  pursued 
that  amusement  in  the  Highlands,  he  used  to  wear  the  pecu- 


OF  SCOTLAND.  li 

liar  dress  of  that  conntr}^,  having  a  long  and  wide  Highland 
shirt,  and  a  jacket  of  tartan  velvet,  with  plaid  hose,  and 
everything  else  corresponding. 

The  reign  of  James  V.  was  not  alone  distinguished  by  his 
personal  adventures  and  pastimes,  but  is  honorablv  remem- 
bered  on  account  of  wise  laws  made  for  the  government  of 
his  people,  and  for  restraining  the  crimes  and  violence  which 
were  frequently  practised  among  them ;  especially  those  of 
assassination,  burning  of  houses,  and  driving  of  cattle,  the 
usual  and  ready  means  by  which  powerful  chiefs  avenged 
themselves  of  their  feudal  enemies. 

Had  not  James  become  involved  in  a  war  with  Henry  the 
Eighth  of  England,  he  might  have  been  as  fortunate  a  prince 
as  his  many  good  qualities  deserved  ;  but,  the  war  going 
against  him,  in  despair  and  desolation  he  shut  himself  up  in 
his  palace,  refusing  to  Usten  to  consolation.  A  burning 
fever,  the  consequence  of  his  grief  and  shame,  seized  on  the 
unfortunate  monarch.  When  they  brought  him  tidings  that 
his  wife  had  given  birth  to  a  daughter,  who  afterwards  be- 
came the  brilliant,  but  most  unfortunate,  Mary  Queen  of 
Scots,  he  only  replied,  "Is  it  so?"  reflecting  on  the  alliance 
which  had  placed  the  Stewart  family  on  the  throne  ;  "  then 
God's  will  be  done.  It  came  with  a  lass,  and  it  will  go  with 
a  lass."  With  these  words,  presaging  the  extinction  of  his 
house,  he  made  a  signal  of  adieu  to  his  courtiers,  spoke  httle 
more,  but  turned  his  face  to  the  wall  and,  w^hen  scarcely 
thirty-one  years  old,  in  the  very  prime  of  life,  he  died  of  the 
most  melancholy  of  all  diseases,  a  broken  heart. 


ARGUMENT. 


The  scene  of  the  following  Poem  is  laid  chiefly  in  the  vicinity  of 
Loch  Katrine,  in  the  Western  Highlands  of  Perthshire.  The  time 
of  Action  includes  Six  Days,  and  the  transactions  of  each  Day 
occupy  a  Canto. 


OUTLINE   OF   CANTO   FIRST. 


In  "The  Lady  of  the  Lake"  the  poet  describes  Highland  charac- 
ter and  life  as  they  existed  towards  the  close  of  the  middle  ages, 
by  means  of  a  narrative  of  one  of  James  V.'s  adventures.  In  the 
first  canto,  which  is  entitled  "The  Chase,"  he  begins  with  a  long- 
account  of  a  stag  hunt  in  the  Highlands  of  Perthshii-e.  As  the 
chase  lengthens,  the  sportsmen  one  by  one  drop  off,  till  at  last,  the 
king,  who  is  the  foremost  horseman,  is  found  alone,  and  his  horse, 
worn  out  with  fatigue,  stumbles  and  falls  dead.  The  lone  hunts- 
man pursues  his  way  through  a  rocky  ravine,  till,  ascending  a 
craggy  height,  he  sees,  by  the  light  of  the  setting  sun.  Loch  Katrhie 
stretched  beneath  him  in  all  its  beauty.  After  gazing  in  admii-a- 
tion  upon  the  beautiful  scene,  he  winds  his  horn  in  the  hope  of 
being  heard  by  some  of  his  companions,  and  to  his  surprise  a  little 
skiff  guided  by  a  young  lady  shoots  out  from  the  shadow  of  a  tree, 
and  approaches  the  shore.  The  lady,  thinking  it  was  her  father's 
horn  she  heard,  draws  back  in  fear  at  the  sight  of  a  stranger,  but, 
after  receiving  his  explanation,  they  row  across  the  lake  to  her 
island  home.  There,  her  father  being  absent,  young  Ellen,  as  the 
lady  is  named,  and  the  mistress  of  the  mansion  entertain  the  hunts- 
man with  true  highland  hospitality.  He  discloses  his  name  and 
rank  as  "  The  Knight  of  Snowdoun,  James  Fitz-James,"  and  tries 
in  every  way,  but  in  vain,  to  learn  the  names  of  his  hosts.  At 
length  he  retires  to  rest ;  but  his  sleep  is  disturbed  by  dreams  so 
strange  and  fearful  that  he  rises  from  his  couch,  and  walks  out 
into  the  moonlight  to  shake  off  the  dread  visions  of  the  night. 
After  quieting  his  disturbed  mind,  he  returns  to  his  bed,  says  a 
prayer,  and  sleeps  till  awakened  in  the  morning  by  the  crowing  of 
the  heath-cock.  With  this  the  first  canto  ends.  —  Stevens  &  Morris. 


IV I  -'^31- 


THE 


LADY   OF   THE   LAKE. 


THE   CHASE. 

Haep  of  the  North !  that  mouldering  long  hast  hung 

On  the  witch-elm  that  shades  Saint  Fillan's  spring, 
And  down  the  fitful  breeze  th}^  numbers  flung, 

Till  envious  ivy  did  around  thee  cling, 
Muffling  with  verdant  ringlet  every  string,  —  5 

O  Minstrel  Harp,  still  must  thine  accents  sleep  ? 
'Mid  rustling  leaves  and  fountains  mui-muring, 

Still  must  thy  sweeter  sounds  their  silence  keep, 
Nor  bid  a  warrior  smile,  nor  teach  a  maid  to  weep  ? 

Not  thus,  in  ancient  days  of  Caledon,  lO 

Was  thy  voice  mute  amid  the  festal  crowd, 

1.  Harp  of  the  North !  An  invocation  to  ancient  Scottish  minstrelsy. 
The  barp  was  formerly  the  national  musical  instrument. 

2.  Witch-elm.  The  broad-leaved  elm.  Twigs  cut  from  it  were  used  as 
riding  whips  for  good  luck;  also  for  divining  rods. —  Saint  Fillan.  A 
Scotch  abbot  of  the  seventh  century. 

3.  Numbers.    Lines  or  verses  of  poetry. 

G.  Minstrel.  The  minstrels,  as  the  wandering  singers  and  musicians  of 
the  middle  ages  were  called,  were  always  welcomed  wherever  they  went. 
They  sang  songs  recounting  the  valiant  deeds  of  their  entertainers  and 
their  ancestors.    S.  &  M. 

10.  Caledon.    For  Caledonia,  the  ancient  name  of  Scotland. 


THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE.  canto  i. 

When  lay  of  hopeless  love,  or  glory  won, 
, :  -Aroused  the  fearful  or  subdued  the  proud. 
At  each  according  pause  was  heard  aloud 

Thine  ardent  symphony  sublime  and  high !  15 

Fair  dames  and  crested  chiefs  attention  bowed ; 

For  still  the  burden  of  thy  minstrelsy 
Was  Knighthood's  dauntless  deed,  and  Beauty's  match- 
less eye. 

O,  wake  once  more !  how  rude  soe'er  the  hand 

That  ventures  o'er  thy  magic  maze  to  stray ;  20 

O,  wake  once  more !  though  scarce  my  skill  command 

Some  feeble  echoing  of  thine  earlier  lay  : 
Though  harsh  and  faint,  and  soon  to  die  away, 

And  all  unworthy  of  thy  nobler  strain. 
Yet  if  one  heart  throb  higher  at  its  sway,  25 

The  wizard  note  has  not  been  touched  in  vain. 
Then  silent  be  no  more  I     Enchantress,  wake  again ! 


I. 

The  stag  at  eve  had  drunk  his  fill, 
Where  danced  the  moon  on  Monan's  rill, 

14.  According  pause.    In  music,  that  which  suitably  fills  the  intervals. 

15.  Ardent  symphony.  Stirring  music  with  which  the  minstrel  filled 
up  the  pauses  of  his  lay.     S.  &  M. 

16.  Crested.    Plumed.  — 17.  Minstrelsy.     Song. 

18.  Knighthood.  In  the  middle  ages  a  knight  was  a  person  admitted  to 
a  certain  military  rank,  as  a  reward  for  brave  and  gallant  deeds.  Knights 
took  certain  oaths,  among  which,  perhaps,  the  most  important  was  that 
they  would  succor  the  oppressed,  especially  ladies,  whenever  they  had  the 
opportunity.     S.  &  M. 

20.  Maze.    Perplexing  way.  —  26.  Wizard.    Enchanting. 

29.  Monan.     A  Scotch  martyr  of  the  fourth  century. 


CANTO  1.  THE   CHASE.  5 

And  deep  his  midnight  lair  had  made  30 

In  lone  Glenartney's  hazel  shade ; 

But  when  the  sun  his  beacon  red      '-^M/'>^- 

Had  kindled  on  Benvoirlich's  head, 

The  deep-mouthed  bloodhound's  heavy  bay 

Resounded  up  the  rocky  way,  35 

And  faint,  from  farther  distance  borne, 

Were  heard  the  clanging  hoof  and  horn. 


II. 

As  Chief,  who  hears  his  warder  call, 

"  To  arms !  the  foemen  storm  the  wall," 

The  antlered  monarch  of  the  waste  40 

Sprung  from  his  heathery  couch  in  haste. 

But  ere  his  fleet  career  he  took. 

The  dew-drops  from  his  flanks  he  shook ; 

Like  crested  leader  proud  and  high 

Tossed  his  beamed  frontlet  to  the  sky  ;  45 

A  moment  gazed  adown  the  dale, 

A  moment  snuffed  the  tainted  gale, 

A  moment  listened  to  the  cry. 

That  thickened  as  the  chase  drew  nigh ; 

30.  Lair.    Bed  of  a  wild  beast. 

31.  Glenartney.  A  valley  through  which  a  small  stream  called  the 
Artney  flows. 

32.  Beacon.  A  signal-fire  on  a  hill  or  mountain.  The  use  of  the  word 
here  is  very  effective,  comparing  the  early  rays  of  the  sun  on  the  mountain 

top  to  a  fire  kindled  for  an  alarm.  f 

33.  Benvoirlich.  A  mountain  north  of  Glenartney.  Ben  means  monn- 
tain.     (See  map.) — 38.  Warder.    Keeper  or  guard. 

45.  Beamed  frontlet.  The  forehead  of  a  stag,  with  full-grown  antlers 
or  horns. 

47.  Tainted  gale.  The  wind,  laden  with  the  scent  or  odor  of  the 
hunter,  which  the  deer  perceives  at  a  great  distance. 


6  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  i. 

Then,  as  the  headmost  foes  appeared,  so 

With  one  brave  bound  the  copse  he  cleared, 
And,  stretching  forward  free  and  far. 
Sought  the  wild  heaths  of  Uam-Var. 


in. 

Yelled  on  the  view  the  opening  pack  ; 

Rock,  glen,  and  cavern  paid  them  back ;  55 

To  many  a  mingled  sound  at  once 

The  awakened  mountain  gave  response. 

A  hundred  dogs  hsijed  deep  and  strong, 

Clattered  a  hundred  steeds  along. 

Their  peal  the  merry  horns  rung  out,  60 

A  hundred  voices  joined  the  shout ; 

With  hark  and  whoop  and  wild  halloo, 

No  rest  Benvoirlich's  echoes  knew. 

Far  from  the  tumult  fled  the  roe. 

Close  in  her  covert  cowered  the  doe,  65 

The  falcon,  from  her  cairn  on  high. 

Cast  on  the  rout  a  wondering  eye, 

51.   Copse.     Bushes,  or  wood  of  small  growth. 

53.  TJam-Var.  Ua-var,  as  the  name  Is  pronounced,  or  more  properly 
Uaighmor,  is  a  mountain  to  the  north-east  of  the  village  of  Callender  in 
Menteith,  deriving  its  name,  which  signifies  the  great  den  or  cavern,  from  a 
sort  of  retreat  among  the  rocks  on  the  south  side,  said,  by  tradition,  to  have 
been  the  abode  of  a  giant.  In  latter  times  it  was  the  refuge  of  robbers  and 
banditti,  who  have  been  only  extirpated  within  these  forty  or  fifty  years. 
Strictly  speaking,  this  stronghold  is  not  a  cave,  as  the  name  would  imply, 
but  a  sort  of  small  enclosure  or  recess,  surrounded  with  large  rocks,  and  open 
above  head.    Scott. 

54.  Opening  pack.  A  hunting  term,  alluding  to  the  hounds  barking 
at  sight  of  the  game.  —  64.  Hoe.    A  small  species  of  deer. 

66.  Falcon  [/cm' A;' n].    A  hawk.  —  Cairn.     A  heap  of  stones. 

67.  Hout.    Tumultuous  crowd. 


CANTO  I.  THE   CHASE. 


Till  far  beyond  her  piercing  ken 

The  hurricane  had  swept  the  glen. 

Faint,  and  more  faint,  its  failing  din  70 

Returned  from  cavern,  cliff,  and  linn, 

And  silence  settled,  wide  and  still, 

On  the  lone  wood  and  mighty  hill. 

IV. 

Less  loud  the  sounds  of  sylvan  war 

Disturbed  the  heights  of  Uam-Var,  75 

And  roused  the  cavern  where,  'tis  told, 

A  criant  made  his  den  of  old ; 

For  ere  that  steep  ascent  was  won. 

High  in  his  pathway  hung  the  sun, 

And  many  a  gallant,  stayed  perforce,  80 

Was  fain  to  breathe  his  faltering  horse, 

And  of  the  trackers  of  the  deer. 

Scarce  half  the  lessening  pack  was  near; 

So  shrewdly  on  the  mountain-side 

Had  the  bold  burst  their  mettle  tried.  85 

V. 

The  noble  stag  was  pausing  now 

Upon  the  mountain's  southern  brow, 

Where  broad  extended,  far  beneath, 

The  varied  realms  of  fair  Menteith. 

With  anxious  eye  he  wandered  o'er  90 

Mountain  and  meadow,  moss  and  moor, 

(58.   Ken.     Sight.— 69.   Hurricane.    The  chase,  like  a  violent  wind,  had 
svvepttheglen.  —  71.   Linn.     Cataract ;  pool. 

74.   Sylvan  war.    Woodland  war  against  the  stag,  i.e.,  hunting. 
81.  Fain.     Glad.  — «4.   Shrewdly.     Severely. 
89.   Menteith.     A  district  watered  by  the  Teith. 


8  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  i. 

And  pondered  refuge  from  liis  toil, 

By  far  Lo chard  or  Aberfoyle. 

But  nearer  was  the  copsewood  gray. 

That  waved  and  wept  on  Loch  Achray,  95 

And  mingled  with  the  pine-trees  blue 

On  the  bold  cliffs  of  Benvenue. 

Fresh  vigor  with  the  hope  returned, 

With  flying  foot  the  heath  he  spurned. 

Held  westward  with  unwearied  race,  lOO 

And  left  behind  the  panting  chase. 


VI. 

'Twere  long  to  tell  what  steeds  gave  o'er, 

As  swept  the  hunt  through  Cambusmore  ; 

What  reins  were  tightened  in  despair, 

When  rose  Benledi's  ridge  in  air  ;  105 

Who  flagged  upon  Bochastle's  heath. 

Who  shunned  to  stem  the  flooded  Teith,  — 

For  twice  that  day,  from  shore  to  shore. 

The  gallant  stag  swam  stoutly  o'er. 

93.  Lochard.     A  small  lake  near  the  village  of  Aberfoyle. 

95.  Loch  Achray.  "The  Lake  of  the  Level  Field."  A  small  lake  at 
the  foot  of  Benvenue.  —  97.  Benvenue.  "Center  Mountain,"  being  mid- 
way between  Ben  Lomond  and  Ben  Ledi.    (See  map.) 

99.  Heath.  A  low  shrub  very  abundant  on  the  hills  and  mountains  of 
Scotland.  Its  foliage  gives  to  the  landscape  a  very  soft  olive  tinge;  its 
blossoms,  a  purplish  hue. 

103.  Cambusmore.     An  estate  near  Callander. 

105.  Benledi.  A  mountain  near  Callander.  The  name  signifies 
"Mountain  of  God." 

106.  Bochastle's  heath.  A  flat  plain  between  the  east  end  of  Loch 
Vennachar  and  Callander.    Taylor. 

107.  The  flooded  Teith.  The  Teith,  receiving  the  waters  of  Lochs 
Lubnaig,  Voil,  Vennachar,  Achray,  and  Katrine,  was  liable  to  overflow  its 
banks  in  rainy  seasons. 


CANTO  I.  THE   CHASE.  '  9 

Few  were  the  stragglers,  following  far,  no 

That  reached  the  lake  of  Veiinachar; 
And  when  the  Brigg  of  Turk  was  won, 
The  headmost  horseman  rode  alone. 

VII. 

^Alone,  but  with  unbated  zeal, 

\^  That  horseman  plied  the  scourge  and  steel ;      ii5 
For,  jaded  now,  and  spent  with  toil. 
Embossed  with  foam,  and  dark  with  soil. 
While  every  gasp  with  sobs  he  drew. 
The  laboring  stag  strained  full  in  view. 
Two  dogs  of  black  Saint  Hubert's  breed,  120 

Unmatched  for  courage,  breath,  and  speed, 
Fast  on  his  flying  traces  came, 
And  all  but  won  that  desperate  game ; 
For,  scarce  a  spear's  length  from  his  haunch, 
Vindictive  toiled  the  bloodhounds  st'anch ;         125 
Nor  nearer  might  the  dogs  attain. 
Nor  farther  might  the  quarry  strain. 
Thus  up  the  margin  of  the  lake, 
Between  the  precipice  and  brake, 
O'er  stock  and  rock  their  race  they  take.  ibo 

111.  Vennachar.  "Lake  of  the  Fair  Valley,"  one  of  the  three  lakes 
arouud  which  the  scenery  of  the  poem  lies.  — 112.  Brigg  of  Turk.  An  old 
stone  bridge  over  the  Turk,  a  small  stream  in  Glentiulas  valley. 

115.  Scourge  and  steel.  Whip  and  spur. —117.  Embossed.  Hunted 
until  the  foam  from  the  mouth  covered  the  stag  like  raised  figures  in  orna- 
mental work.  — 120.  Saint  Hubert.  The  hounds  which  are  called  St.  Hu- 
bert's are  found  of  various  colors,  but  are  commonly  all  black.  The  abbots 
of  St.  Hubert  have  always  kept  some  of  this  race  of  hounds  in  remembrance 
of  their  patron  saint,  who  was  a  hunter.  —  125.  Vindictive.  Revengeful. — 
Stanch  hound.    Reliable  in  the  pursuit  of  game. 

127.   Quarry.   The  hunted  animal. —12i).  Brake.   Coarse  ferns;  bushes. 

130.   Stock.     Log  or  stump. 


:'C>   ^ 

10  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  i. 

VIII. 

The  Hunter  marked  that  mountam  high, 
The  lone  lake's  western  boundary, 
And  deemed  the  stag  must  turn  to  bay, 
Where  that  huge  rampart  barred  the  way ; 
Already  glorying  in  the  prize,  135 

Measured  his  antlers  with  his  eyes ; 
For  the  death-wound  and  death-halloo 
Mustered  his  breath,  his  whinyard  drew  :  — 
But  thundering  as  he  came  prepared, 
With  ready  arm  and  weapon  bared,  ^  140 

The  wily  quarry  shunned  the  shock. 
And  turned  him  from  the  opposing  rock ; 
^^^^-^^lien,  dashing  down  a  darksome  gleii,  Cyrnrfiod  n 
Soon  lost  to  hound  and  Hunter's  l^eji,        .  ^  |# 
In  the  deep  Trosachs'  wildest  nook  rUUVuMXj  145 
His  solitary  refuge  took. 

133.  Turn  to  bay.  The  turning  of  the  stag  to  face  and  fight  his  pursuers 
when  no  longer  able  to  escape  them.  — 134.  Rampart.     Beuvenue. 

137.  For  the  death  wound,  etc.  When  the  stag  turned  to  bay,  the 
ancient  hunter  had  the  perilous  task  of  going  in  upon,  and  killing  or  dis- 
abling the  desperate  animal.  At  certain  times  of  the  year  this  was  held 
particularly  dangerous,  a  wound  received  from  a  stag's  horn  being  then 
deemed  poisonous,  and  more  dangerous  than  one  from  the  tusks  of  a  boar. 
Scott.  —  Death-halloo.  The  shout  when  the  huntsman  had  given  the 
death  stroke  to  the  stag.  —138.   Whinyard.     A  sword  or  hanger. 

145.  Trosachs.  The  name  Trosachs,  or  "bristled  territory,"  is  gen- 
erally applied  to  the  whole  country  about  Loch  Katrine,  but,  strictly  speak- 
ing, belongs  only  to  the  region  between  Lochs  Katrine  and  Achray.  A  fine 
turnpike,  shaded  by  overhanging  trees  and  abrupt  mountain  cliffs,  winds 
through  this  beautiful  wild  valley.  It  is  the  more  enjoyable  because  it  is 
so  rare  in  Scotland  to  see  anything  like  a  native  forest.  The  trees  are 
mostly  set  out  when  very  small  and  so  thickly  and  irregularly  as  to  resem- 
ble a  natural  growth.  They  are  cultivated  not  so  much  for  the  timber  as  a 
shelter  for  game.  The  mountains  of  Scotland  for  the  most  part  are  treeless. 
With  the  exception  of  a  few  of  the  highest  peaks  which  are  barren,  they 


CANTO  I.  thp:  chase.  11 

There,  while  close  coiiched  the  thicket  shed 

Cold  dews  and  wild  flowers  on  his  head. 

He  heard  the  baffled  dogs  in  vain 

Rave  through  the  hollow  pass  amain,  150 

Chiding  the  rocks  that  yelled  again. 


IX. 

Close  on  the  hounds  the  Hunter  came, 

To  cheer  them  on  the  vanished  game ; 

But,  stumbling  hi  the  rugged  dell. 

The  gallant  horse  exhausted  fell.  155 

The  impatient  rider  strove  in  vain 

To  rouse  him  with  the  sj)ur  and  rein. 

For  the  good  steed,  his  labors  o'er, 

Stretched  his  stiff  limbs,  to  rise  no  more ; 

Then,  touched  with  pity  and  remorse,  i<)0 

He  sorrowed  o'er  the  expiring  horse. 

''  I  little  thought,  Avhen  first  thy  rein 

I  slacked  upon  the  banks  of  Seine, 

That  Highland  eagle  e'er  should  feed 

On  thy  fleet  limbs,  my  matchless  steed !  Kis 

Woe  worth  the  chase,  woe  worth  the  day. 

That  costs  thy  life,  my  gallant  gray ! " 

are  covered  to  the  very  tops  with  heather  and  grass  kept  greeu  by  the  fre- 
quent rains.  Not  only  are  these  beautiful  mountains  with  the  thousands  of 
white  sheep  moving  to  and  fro  over  their  sides  pleasant  to  look  upon,  but 
they  form  a  great  source  of  wealth  to  the  peoj^le  as  is  well  known  by  the 
quantity  and  excellence  of  the  Scotcli  woollens. 

147.   Couched.    Concealed.  — 150.  Amain.    Vigorously. 

151.   Chiding,  etc.     The  constant  barking  echoed  back  by  the  rocks. 

1G3.   Seine.     A  river  in  France. 

IGG.  Woe  worth  the  chase.  Woe  bo  to  the  chase.  Worth  used  in  the 
sense  of  he,  imperative. 


12  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE.        canto  i, 

X. 

Then  through  the  dell  his  horn  resounds, 

From  vain  pursuit  to  call  the  hounds. 

Back  limped,  with  slow  and  crippled  pace,         170 

The  sulky  leaders  of  the  chase ; 

Close  to  their  master's  side  they  pressed, 

With  drooping  tail  and  humbled  crest; 

But  still  the  dingle's  hollow  throat 

Prolonged  the  swelling  bugle-note.  175 

The  owlets  started  from  their  dream. 

The  eagles  answered  with  their  scream, 

Round  and  around  the  sounds  were  cast. 

Till  echo  seemed  an  answering  blast ; 

And  on  the  Hunter  hied  his  way,  .  180 

To  join  some  comrades  of  the  day, 

Yet  often  paused,  so  strange  the  road. 

So  wondrous  were  the  scenes  it  shoAved. 

XI. 

j^he  Avestern  waves  of  ebb^n^'  day 

I  Rolled  o'er  the  glen  their  level  way ;  185 

I  Each  purple  peak,  each  flinty  spire, 

\Was  bathed  in  floods  of  living  fire. 

But  not  a  setting  beam  could  glow 

Within  the  dark  ravines  below, 

AVhere  twined  the  })ath  in  shadow  hid,  190 

Round  many  a  rocky  pyramid. 

Shooting  abruptly  from  the  dell 

Its  thunder-spliutered  pinnacle ; 

174.   Dingle.     A  small  valley  between  hills.  — 180.   Hied.     Hastened. 
185.   Level  way.     Horizontal  rays  from  the  setting  sun. 
193.   Pinnacle.     A  lofty  summit. 


CANTO  I.  THE    CHASE.  13 

Round  many  an  insulated  mass, 

The  native  bulwarks  of  the  pass,  ii>"> 

Huge  as  the  tower  which  builders  vain 

Presumptuous  piled  on  Shinar's  plain. 

The  rocky  summits,  split  and  rent, 

Formed  turret,  dome,  or  battlement. 

Or  seemed  fantastically  set  2m 

With  cupola  or  minaret. 

Wild  crests  as  pagod  ever  decked, 

Or  mosque  of  Eastern  architect. 

Nor  were  these  earth-born  castles  bare, 

Nor  lacked  they  many  a  banner  fair ;  205 

For,  from  their  shivered  brows  displayed. 

Far  o'er  the  unfathomable  glade, 

All  twinkling  with  the  dewdrops  sheen, 

The  brier-rose  fell  in  streamers  green. 

And  creeping  shrubs  of  thousand  dyes  210 

Waved  in  the  west-wind's  summer  sighs. 

XII.  _ 

Boon  nature  scattered,  free  and  wild. 

Each  plant  or  flower,  the  mountain's  child. 

Here  eglantine  embalmed  the  air, 

Hawthorn  and  hazel  mingled  there  ;  215 

194.  Insulated.  Standing  by  itself  like  au  island.  —  195.  Native  bul- 
warks. Natural  fortifications  or  defences.  — 196.  Tower.  Tower  of 
liabel.  Genesis  xi.  1-9.— 199.  Turret.  A  small  tower  forming  a  part  of  a 
building. —  Battlement.  A  wall  round  the  top  of  a  castle,  with  openings 
to  look  through  and  annoy  the  enemy. —201.  Minaret.  A  high,  slender 
turret  on  a  Mohammedan  Mosque  from  which  the  people  are  called  to 
prayers.  — 202.  Pagod.  Pagoda,  a  heathen  temple.  —  20n.  Mosque.  A 
Mohammedan  temple  of  worship. —  204.   Earth-born  castles.     ^Mountains. 

207.   Glade.     An  opening  through  a  wood.— 208.  Sheen.     Shining. 

214.   Eglantine.     A  species  of  wild  rose;  sweet-brier. 


;[4  THE   LADY    OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  i. 

The  primrose  pale  and  violet  flower 

Found  in  each  cleft  a  narrow  bower ;. 

Foxglove  and  nightshade,  side  by  side, 

Emblems  of  punishment  and  pride. 

Grouped  their  dark  hues  with  every  stain  220 

The  weather-beaten  crags  retain. 

With  boughs  that  quaked  at  every  breath. 

Gray  birch  and  aspen  wept  beneath  ; 

Aloft,  the  ash  and  warrior  oak 

Cast  anchor  in  the  rifted  rock ;  225 

And,  higher  yet,  the  pine-tree  hung 

His  shattered  trunk,  and  frequent  flung, 

Where  seemed  the  cliffs  to  meet  on  high, 

His  boughs  athwart  the  narrowed  sky. 

Highest  of  all,  where  white  peaks  glanced,        230 

Where  glistening  streamers  waved  and  danced, 

The  wanderer's  eye  could  barely  view 

The  summer  heaven's  delicious  blue ; 

So  wondrous  wild,  the  whole  might  seem 

The  scenery  of  a  fairy  dream.  235 


XIII. 

Onward,  amid  the  copse  'gan  peep 
A  narrow  inlet,  still  and  deep, 
Affording  scarce  such  breadth  of  brim 
As  served  the  wild  duck's  brood  to  swim. 
Lost  for  a  space,  through  thickets  veering, 
But  broader  when  again  appearing, 
Tall  rocks  and  tufted  knolls  their  face 
Could  on  the  dark-blue  mirror  trace ; 


240 


223.   Aspen.     Called  also  the  trembling  poplar,  because  of  the  quivering 
of  the  leaves  in  the  slightest  breeze.  —  240.   Veering.     Turning  or  winding. 


CANTO  I.  THE   CHASE.  15 

And  farther  as  the  Hunter  strayed, 

Still  broader  sweep  its  channels  made.  245 

The  shaggy  mounds  no  longer  stood, 

Emerging  from  entangled  wood, 

But,  wave-encircled,  seemed  to  float. 

Like  castle  girdled  with  its  moat ; 

Yet  broader  floods  extending  still  250 

Divide  them  from  their  parent  hill. 

Till  each,  retiring,  claims  to  be 

An  islet  in  an  inland  sea. 

XIV. 

And  now,  to  issue  from  the  glen, 

No  pathway  meets  the  wanderer's  ken,  255 

Unless  he  climb  with  footing  nice 

A  far-projecting  precipice. 

The  broom's  tough  roots  his  ladder  made, 

The  hazel  saplings  lent  their  aid ; 

And  thus  an  airy  point  he  won,  260 

Where,  gleaming  with  the  setting  sun, 

One  burnished  sheet  of  living  gold, 

Loch  Katrine  lay  beneath  him  rolled, 

249.  Moat.   A  ditch  round  a  castle  for  defence. 

250.  Unless  lie  climb,  etc.  Until  the  present  road  was  made  through 
the  romantic  pass  which  I  have  presumptuously  attempted  to  describe  in 
the  preceding  stanzas,  there  was  no  mode  of  issuing  out  of  the  defile  called 
the  Trosachs,  excepting  by  a  sort  of  ladder,  composed  of  the  branches  and 
roots  of  trees.  Scott.  —258.  Broom.  A  large,  bushy  shrub  liaving  tough, 
leafless  stems  and  flowers  of  a  deep  golden  yellow.  Brooms  were  so  called 
because  they  were  originally  made  from  it.    S.  »&  M. 

2(53.  Loch  Katrine.  The  scene  of  the  poem  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
of  the  Scottish  lakes,  situated  in  Perthshire.  It  is  about  eight  miles  long 
and  two  miles  wide,  serpentine  in  shape,  and  surrounded  by  high  mountains 
and  deep  ravines.  A  small  steamer  plies  on  the  lake.  Near  its  outlet  is 
situated  Ellen's  Isle  in  the  wild  region  of  the  Trosachs.  It  is  supposed  to 
have  derived  its  name  from  "  Catterins  or  Ketterins,  a  wild  baud  of  robbers. 
who  orowled  about  its  shores  to  the  terror  of  all  wayfarers." 


16  THE   LADY    OF   THE    LAKE.  canto  i. 

In  all  her  length  far  winding  lay, 

With  promontory,  creek,  and  bay,  2«5 

And  islands  that,  enipnrpled  bright, 

Floated  amid  the  livelier  light, 

And  mountains  that  like  giants  stand 

To  sentinel  enchanted  land. 

High  on  the  south,  huge  Benvenue  270 

Down  to  the  lake  in  masses  threw 

Crags,  knolls,  and  mounds,  confusedly  hurled. 

The  fragments  of  an  earlier  world ; 

A  wildering  forest  feathered  o'er 

His  ruined  sides  and  summit  hoar,  275 

While  on  the  north,  through  middle  air, 

Ben-an  heaved  hioh  his  forehead  bare. 


XV. 

From  the  steep  promontory  gazed 

The  stranger,  raptured  and  amazed, 

And,  "  What  a  scene  were  here,"  he  cried, 

"  For  princely  pomp  or  churchman's  pride  ! 

On  this  bold  brow,  a  lordly  tower ; 

In  that  soft  vale,  a  lady's  bower ; 

On  yonder  meadow  far  away 

The  turrets  of  a  cloister  gray ;  285 

How  blithely  might  the  bugle-horn 

Chide  on  the  lake  the  lingering  morn ! 

How  sweet  at  eve  the  lover's  lute 

Chime  when  the  groves  were  still  and  mute ! 


280 


269.  Sentinel.    To  guard. —274.  Wildering.    Bewildering. 
277.   Ben-an.     "Little  Mountain,"  lying  north  of  the  Trosachs. 
285.   Cloister.    A  place  of  retirement  from  the  world  for  religious  duties ; 
a  convent.  A  cloister  for  women  is  called  a  nunnery;  for  men,  a  monastery. 


CANTO  I.  THE   CHASE.  IT 

And  when  the  midnight  moon  should  lave         290 

Her  forehead  in  the  silver  wave, 

How  solemn  on  the  ear  would  come 

The  holy  matins'  distant  hum, 

While  the  deep  peal's  commanding  tone 

Should  wake,  in  yonder  islet  lone,  20r. 

A  sainted  hermit  from  his  cell, 

To  drop  a  bead  with  every  knell ! 

And  bugle,  lute,  and  bell,  and  all, 

Should  each  bewildered  stranger  call 

To  friendly  feast  and  lighted  hall.  300 

XVI.  ^ 

''  Blithe  were  it  then  to  wander  here  I 

But  now  —  beshrew  yon  nimble  deer  !  — 

Like  that  same  hermit's,  thin  and  spare. 

The  copse  must  give  my  evening  fare ; 

Some  mossy  bank  my  couch  must  be,  305 

Some  rustling  oak  my  canopy. 

Yet  pass  we  that ;  the  war  and  chase 

Give  little  choice  of  resting-place  ;  — 

A  summer  night  in  greenwood  spent 

Were  but  to-morrow's  merriment :  3io 

But  hosts  may  in  these  wilds  abound. 

Such  as  are  better  missed  than  found ; 

To  meet  with  Highland  plunderers  here 

Were  worse  than  loss  of  steed  or  deer.  — 

290.  Lave.  Bathe.— 293.  Matins.  Early  morning  prayers  in  Catholic 
churches.— 297.  Bead.  Formerly  meant  a  prayer,  and  hence  came  to  be 
applied  to  the  small  perforated  balls  used  in  keeping  an  account  of  the  num- 
ber of  prayers  recited.  —  ".02.   Beshrew.     "  May  ill  betide  " ;  a  slight  curse. 

313.  Highland  plunderers.  The  class  who  inhabited  the  romantic 
regions  in  the  neighborhood  of  Loch  Katrine,  were,  even  until  a  late  period, 
much  addicted  to  predatory  excursions  upon  their  Lowland  neighbors.  Scott. 


18  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  i. 

I  am  alone  ;  — 1113^  bugle-strain  315 

May  call  some  straggler  of  the  train ; 
Or,  fall  the  worst  that  may  betide, 
Ere  now  this  falchion  has  been  tried." 

XVII. 

But  scarce  again  his  horn  he  wound, 

When  lo  !  forth  starting  at  the  sound,  S20 

From  underneath  an  aged  oak 

That  slanted  from  the  islet  rock, 

A  damsel  guider  of  its  way, 

A  little  skiff  shot  to  the  bay. 

That  round  the  promontor}^  steep  S25 

Led  its  deep  line  in  graceful  swee[), 

Eddying,  in  almost  viewless  Avave, 

The  weeping  willow  twig  to  lave. 

And  kiss,  with  whispering  sound  and  slriw. 

The  beach  of  pebbles  bright  as  snow.  3:30 

The  boat  had  touched  this  silver  strand 

Just  as  the  Hunter  left  his  stand, 

And  stood  concealed  amid  the  brake. 

To  view  this  Lady  of  the  Lake. 

The  maiden  paused,  as  if  again  335 

She  thought  to  catch  the  distant  strain. 

With  head  upraised,  and  look  intent, 

And  eye  and  ear  attentive  bent, 

And  locks  flung  back,  and  lips  apart, 

Like  monument  of  Grecian  art,  340 

Li  listening  mood,  she  seemed  to  stand, 

The  guardian  Naiad  of  the  strand. 

318.   Falchion  [fawl'chioi].    A  broadsword  with  slightly  curved  point. 
340.  Monument  of  Grecian  art.     A  statue.  — 342.  Naiad  [iV«'?/ad].    A 
water-nymph  or  goddess  presiding  over  rivers  and  springs. 


CANTO    I. 


THE   CHASE.  1^ 

XVIII. 

And  ne'er  did  Grecian  chisel  trace 

A  Nymph,  a  Naiad,  or  a  Grace, 

Of  finer  form  or  lovelier  face  !  •^•"^ 

What  tliough  the  sun,  with  ardent  frown, 

Had  slightly  tinged  her  cheek  with  brown,  — 

The  sportive  toil,  which,  short  and  light. 

Had  dyed  her  glowing  hue  so  bright, 

Served  too  in  hastier  swell  to  show  '^^ 

Short  glimpses  of  a  breast  of  snow : 

What  though  no  rule  of  courtly  grace 

To  measured  mood  had  trained  her  pace,  — 

A  foot  more  light,  a  step  more  true. 

Ne'er  from  the  heath-llower  dashed  the  dew :    "^^^ 

E'en  the  slight  harebell  raised  its  head. 

Elastic  from  her  airy  tread : 

What  though  upon  her  speech  there  hung 

The  accents  of  the  mountain  tongue,  — 

Those  silver  sounds,  so  soft,  so  dear. 

The  listener  held  his  breath  to  hear ! 


3()0 


XIX. 

A  chieftain's  daughter  seemed  the  maid; 

Her  satin  snood,  her  silken  plaid, 

Her  golden  brooch,  such  birth  betrayed. 

;M4.  Graces.  Beautiful  females  represented  by  ancient  writers  as 
attendants  of  Venus.  —  353.  Measured  mood.    Studied  behavior. 

363.  Snood.  A  head-band  worn  by  Scottish  maidens. —Plaid.  Pro- 
nounced vhiycd  by  the  Scotch.  It  consisted  of  about  a  dozen  yards  of 
woollen  cloth,  checked  with  threads  of  various  bright  colors.  It  was 
wrapped  around  the  middle  of  the  body,  fastened  with  a  belt,  and  ex- 
tended down  to  the  knee.  It  was  much  worn  as  an  over-garment  by  the 
Highlanders  of  both  sexes,  and  each  clan  was  distinguished  by  its  own 
peculiar  plaid  or  tartan.  —304.  Brooch  \J)rucl{\ .    Breastpin. 


'20  THE   LADY   OF   THE    LAKE.  canto  i. 

And  seldom  was  a  snood  amid  365 

Such  wild  luxuriant  ringlets  hid, 

Whose  glossy  black  to  shame  might  bring 

The  plumage  of  the  raven's  wing ; 

And  seldom  o'er  a  breast  so  fair 

Mantled  a  j^laid  with  modest  care,  370 

And  never  brooch  the  folds  combined 

Above  a  heart  more  good  and  kind. 

Her  kindness  and  her  worth  to  spy,"' 

You  need  but  gaze  on  Ellen's  eye ; 

Not  Katrine  in  her  mirror  blue  375 

Gives  back  the  shaggy  banks  more  true. 

Than  every  free-born  glance  confessed 

The  guileless  movements  of  her  breast ; 

Whether  joy  danced  in  her  dark  eye, 

Or  woe  or  pity  claimed  a  sigh,  380 

Or  filial  love  was  glowing  there, 

Or  meek  devotion  poured  a  prayer. 

Or  tale  of  injury  called  forth 

The  indignant  spirit  of  the  North. 

One  only  passion  unrevealed  385 

With  maiden  pride  the  maid  concealed, 

Yet  not  less  purely  felt  the  flame ;  — 

O,  need  I  tell  that  passion's  name  ? 

XX. 

Impatient  of  the  silent  horn, 

Now  on  the  gale  her  voice  was  borne  :  —  390 

"  Father  !  "  she  cried ;  the  rocks  around 
Loved  to  prolong  the  gentle  sound. 

368.   Eaven,     A  bird  like  the  crow. 

381.  Filial  love.    The  love  of  son  or  daughter  for  a  parent. 


CANTO  I.  THE   CHASE.  21 

Awhile  she  paused,  no  answer  came ;  — 

'^Malcohn,  was  thine  the  blast?"  the  name 

Less  resolutely  uttered  fell,  395 

The  echoes  could  not  catch  the  swell. 

''  A  stranger  I,"  the  Huntsman  said, 

Advancing  from  the  hazel  shade. 

The  maid,  alarmed,  with  hasty  oar 

Pushed  her  light  shallop  from  the  shore,  400 

And  when  a  space  was  gained  between. 

Closer  she  drew  her  bosom's  screen  ;  — 

So  forth  the  startled  swan  would  swing, 

So  turn  to  prune  his  ruffled  wing. 

Then  safe,  though  fluttered  and  amazed,  405 

She  paused,  and  on  the  stranger  gazed. 

Not  his  the  form,  nor  his  the  eye. 

That  youthful  maidens  wont  to  fly. 

XXI. 

On  his  bold  visage  middle  age 

Had  slightly  pressed  its  signet  sage,,  4io 

Yet  had  not  quenched  the  open  truth 

And  fiery  vehemence  of  youth; 

Forward  and  frolic  glee  was  there. 

The  will  to  do,  the  soul  to  dare. 

The  sparkling  glance,  soon  blown  to  fire,  4io 

Of  hasty  love  or  headlong  ire. 

His  limbs  were  cast  in  manly  mould 

For  hardy  sports  or  contest  bold ; 

And  though  in  peaceful  garb  arrayed, 

And  weaponless  except  his  blade,  420 

4(>i.  Prune.   To  trim  and  arrauge  the  feathers  with  the  bill.  — 408.  "V^nt. 
Are  accustomed.  —  410.  Signet  sage.    Seal  of  wisdom ;  impression  of  gravity. 


22  THE    LADY    OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  i. 

His  stately  mien  as  well  implied 

A  high-born  heart,  a  martial  pride, 

As  if  a  baron's  crest  he  wore. 

And  sheathed  in  armor  trode  the  shore. 

Slighting  the  pett}^  need  he  showed,  425 

He  told  of  his  benighted  road ; 

His  ready  speech  flowed  fair  and  free. 

In  phrase  of  gentlest  courtesy. 

Yet  seemed  that  tone  and  gesture  bland 

Less  used  to  sue  than  to  command.  430 

XXII. 

Awhile  the  maid  the  stranger  ej^ed, 

And,  reassured,  at  length  replied. 

That  Highland  halls  were  open  still 

To  wildered  wanderers  of  the  hill. 

"  Nor  think  you  unexpected  come  435 

To  yon  lone  isle,  our  desert  home ; 

Before  the  heath  had  lost  the  dew, 

This  morn,  a  couch  was  pulled  for  you ; 

On  yonder  mountain's  purple  head 

Have  ptarmigan  and  heath-cock  bled,  440 

And  our  broad  nets  have  swept  the  mere. 

To  furnish  forth  your  evening  cheer."  — 

"  Now,  by  the  rood,  my  lovely  maid. 

Your  courtesy  has  erred,"  he  said ; 

"  No  right  have  I  to  claim,  misplaced,  445 

Tlie  welcome  of  expected  guest. 

425.   Slighting  the  need.     Treating  lightly  his  lack  of  food  and  shelter. 
42G.  Benighted.   Overtakenby  night.  — 440.  Ptarmigan.   White  grouse. 
-Heath-cock.    Black  grouse. —441.  Mere.     Lake. 

443.   By  the  rood.     By  the  cross.     A  phrase  formerly  used  in  swearing. 


CANTO  I.  THE   CHASE.  23 

A  wanderer,  here  by  fortune  tost, 

My  way,  my  friends,  my  courser  lost, 

I  ne'er  before,  believe  me,  fair. 

Have  ever  drawn  your  mountain  air,  450 

Till  on  this  lake's  romantic  strand 

I  found  a  fay  in  fairy  land !  "  — 

XXllT. 

"I  well  believe,"'  the  maid  replied. 

As  her  light  skiff  approached  the  side,  — 

"  I  well  believe,  that  ne'er  before  4r)o 

Your  foot  has  trod  Loch  Katrine's  shore ; 

But  yet,  as  far  as  yesternight. 

Old  Allan-bane  foretold  your  plight,  — 

A  gray-haired  sire,  whose  eye  intent 

Was  on  the  visioned  future  bent.  4W 

He  saw  your  steed,  a  dappled  gray, 

Lie  dead  beneath  the  birchen  way ; 

Painted  exact  your  form  and  mien. 

Your  hunting-suit  of  Lincoln  green. 

That  tasselled  horn  so  gayly  gilt,  4ti5 

That  falchion's  crooked  blade  and  hilt. 

That  cap  with  heron  plumage  trim, 

452.   Fay.     An  imaginary  spirit  :  a  fairy. 

460.  On  tlie  visioned  future  bent.  If  force  of  evidence  could  authorize 
us  to  believe  facts  inconsistent  with  the  general  laws  of  nature,  enough 
might  be  produced  in  favor  of  the  existence  of  the  Second-sight.  "The 
second-sight  is  a  singular  faculty  of  seeing  an  otherwise  invisible  object 
without  any  previous  means  used  by  the  i)ers<)n  that  used  it  for  that  end : 
the  vision  makes  such  a  lively  impression  upon  the  seers,  that  they  neither 
see  nor  think  of  anything  else,  except  the  vision,  as  long  as  it  continues; 
and  then  they  appear  pensive  or  jovial,  according  to  the  object  that  was 
represented  to  them."  Scott. — 4()3.  Mien.  INIanner. — 404.  Lincoln  green. 
The  color  of  cloth  formerly  made  in  Lincoln  and  worn  by  the  Lowland 
huntsmen.  —  4<i7.    Heron.     A  wading  bird  with  long  l)i!l.  neck,  and  legs. 


24  THE    LADY   OF   THE    EAKE.  canto  i. 

And  yon  two  hounds  so  dark  and  grim. 

He  bade  that  all  should  ready  be 

To  grace  a  guest  of  fair  degree  ;  470 

But  light  I  held  his  prophecy, 

And  deemed  it  was  my  father's  horn 

Whose  echoes  o'er  the  lake  were  borne." 

XXIV. 

The  stranger  smiled :  —  '^  Since  to  your  home 

A  destined  errant-knight  I  come,  475 

Announced  by  prophet  sooth  and  old, 

Doomed,  doubtless,  for  achievement  bold, 

I'll  lightly  front  each  high  emprise 

For  one  kind  glance  of  those  bright  eyes. 

Permit  me  first  the  task  to  guide  48o 

Your  fairy  frigate  o'er  the  tide." 

The  maid,  with  smile  suppressed  and  sly, 

The  toil  unwonted  saw  him  try ; 

For  seldom,  sure,  if  e'er  before, 

His  noble  hand  had  grasped  an  oar:  485 

Yet  with  main  strength  his  strokes  he  drew, 

And  o'er  the  lake  the  shallojj  flew; 

With  heads  erect  and  whimpering  cry. 

The  hounds  behind  their  passage  pl3^ 

Nor  frequent  does  the  bright  oar  break  4iio 

The  darkening  mirror  of  the  lake, 

Until  the  rocky  isle  they  reach. 

And  moor  their  shallop  on  the  beach. 

475.  Errant-knight.     A  knight  wandering  in  search  of  adventure. 

47G.  Sooth.    True. —478.   Emprise.     A  dangerous  undertaking. 

492.  Kocky  isle.  Ellen's  Isle,  situated  at  the  foot  of  the  beautiful  Loch 
Katrine,  is  a  small  island  containing  two  or  three  acres  of  land  rising  ab- 
ruptly from  the  water  to  a  height  of  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  feet.     It  is 


CANTO  I.  THE   CHASE.  25 

XXV. 

The  stranger  viewed  the  shore  around ; 

'Twas  all  so  close  with  copsewood  bound,  495 

Nor  track  nor  pathway  might  declare 

That  human  foot  frequented  there. 

Until  the  mountain  maiden  showed 

A  clambering  unsuspected  road, 

That  winded  through  the  tangled  screen,  500 

And  opened  on  a  narrow  green, 

Where  weeping  birch  and  willow  round 

With  their  long  fibres  swept  the  ground. 

Here,  for  retreat  in  dangerous  hour. 

Some  chief  had  framed  a  rustic  bower.  505 

XXVI. 

It  was  a  lodge  of  ample  size, 

But  strange  of  structure  and  device  ; 

Of  such  materials  as  around 

The  workman's  hand  had  readiest  found. 

covered  with  a  thick  undergrowth  of  shrubbery,  ferns,  honeysuckle,  and 
heather,  with  a  few  native  birches  and  pines.  The  landing  is  in  a  slight 
recess  hidden  by  trees.  The  ascent  is  up  a  steep  bank,  the  roots  of  the 
trees  forming  steps  in  the  winding  path  well  trodden  by  the  thousands  of 
travellers  yearly  visiting  this  wild  and  romantic  spot.  As  the  traveller 
lingers  here  he  recalls  the  events  of  this  poem  more  as  matters  of  history 
than  the  creation  of  the  great  Poet.  Beautiful  as  are  lake,  isle,  and  "  Silvan 
Strand,"  one  is  glad  to  yield  a  grateful  tribute  to  the  memory  of  him  who 
has  invested  this  spot  with  a  charm  that  shall  endure  so  long  as  the  love  of 
knight  and  maiden  shall  interest  mortals. 

504.  For  retreat  in  dangerous  hour.  The  Celtic  chieftains,  whose 
lives  were  continuallyexpo.sed  to  peril,  had  usually,  in  the  most  retired 
spot  of  their  domains,  some  place  of  retreat  for  the  hour  of  necessity,  which, 
as  circumstances  would  admit,  was  a  tower,  a  cavern,  or  a  rustic  hut,  in  a 
strong  and  secluded  situation.  One  of  these  last  gave  refuge  to  the  un- 
fortunate Charles  Edward,  in  his  perilous  wanderings  after  the  battle  of 
Culloden      Scott. —507.   Device.     Design. 


26  THE   LADY    OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  r. 

Lopped  of  their  boughs,  their  hoar  trunks  bared,  sio 

And  by  the  hatchet  rudely  squared. 

To  give  the  walls  their  destined  height, 

The  sturdy  oak  and  ash  unite ; 

While  moss  and  clay  and  leaves  combined 

To  fence  each  crevice  from  the  wind.  51.") 

The  lighter  pine-trees  overhead 

Their  slender  length  for  rafters  spread, 

And  withered  heath  and  rushes  dry 

Supplied  a  russet  canopy. 

Due  westward,  fronting  to  the  green,  520 

A  rural  portico  was  seen. 

Aloft  on  native  pillars  borne, 

Of  mountain  fir  with  bark  unshorn. 

Where  Ellen's  hand  had  taught  to  twine 

The  ivy  and  Idsean  vine,  525 

The  clematis,  the  favored  flower 

Which  boasts  the  name  of  virgin-bower, 

And  every  hardy  plant  could  bear 

Loch  Katrine's  keen  and  searching  air. 

An  instant  in  this  porch  she  stayed,  530 

And  gayly  to  the  stranger  said : 

"  On  heaven  and  on  thy  lady  call. 

And  enter  the  enchanted  hall ! " 

XXVI  [. 

^'  My  hope,  my  heaven,  ray  trust  must  be. 

My  gentle  guide,  in  following  thee  !  "  —  535 

He  crossed  the  threshold,  —  and  a  clang 

Of  angry  steel  that  instant  rang. 

525.   Idsean  vine.     Red  whortleberry.     Ida  is  a  mountain  in  Crete. 
528.   Which  could  bear  :  relative  omitted. 


CANTO  I.  I'llK    CHASE.  27 

^To  his  bold  brow  his  spirit  rushechO 
But  soon  for  vain  alarm  he  blushed, 
When  on  the  floor  he  saw  displayed,  540 

Cause  of  the  din,  a  naked  blade 
Dropped  from  the  sheath,  that  careless  Hun^' 
Upon  a  stag's  huge  antlers  swung ; 
For  all  around,  the  walls  to  grace, 
Hung  trophies  of  the  tight  or  chase :  54-) 

A  target  there,  a  bugle  here, 
A  battle-axe,  a  hunting-spear. 
And  broadswords,  bows,  and  arrows  store, 
With  the  tusked  trophies  of  the  boar. 
Here  grins  the  wojf  as  when  he  died,  550  ^ 

And  there  the  wild-cat's  brindled  hide 
The  frontlet  of  the  elk  adorns. 
Or  mantles  o'er  the  bison's  horns ; 
Pennons  and  flags  defaced  and  stained. 
That  blackening  streaks  of  blood  retained,         555 
And  deer-skins,  dappled,  dun,  and  white, 
With  otter's  fur  and  seal's  unite, 
In  rude  and  uncouth  tapestry  all. 
To  garnish  forth  the  sylvan  h_all. 

XXVIIl. 

The  wondering  stranger  rcmnd  him  gazed,         sou 

And  next  the  fallen  weapon  raised :  — 

Few  were  the  arms  Avhose  sinewy  strength 

Sufficed  to  stretch  it  forth  at  length. 

And  as  the  brand  he  poised  and  swayed, 

"  T  never  knew  but  one,"  he  said,  o(m 

545.   Trophies.     Things  taken  as   signs  of  victory.  —  546.   Target.     A 
small  shield  used  for  defence  in  battle.  — 55(5.   Dun.     Dark  brown. 
559.   Garnish.     Decorate  or  furnish. 


28  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE.        canto  i. 

"  Whose  stalwart  arm  might  brook  to  wield 

A  blade  like  this  in  battle-field." 

She  sighed,  then  smiled  and  took  the  word  : 

"  You  see  the  guardian  champion's  sword ; 

As  light  it  trembles  in  his  hand  570 

As  in  my  grasp  a  hazel  wand  : 

My  sire's  tall  form  might  grace  the  part 

Of  Ferragus  or  Ascabart, 

But  in  the  absent  giant's  hold 

Are  women  now,  and  menials  old."  575 

XXTX.  • 

The  mistress  of  the  mansion  came, 

Mature  of  age,  a  graceful  dame. 

Whose  easy  step  and  stately  port 

Had  well  become  a  princely  court. 

To  whom,  though  more  than  kindred  knew,      580 

Young  Ellen  gave  a  mother's  due. 

Meet  welcome  to  her  guest  she  made. 

And  ever}-  courteous  rite  was  paid 

That  hospitality  could  claim, 

Though  all  unasked  his  birth  and  name.  585 

566.  Brook.    Endure. —573.  Ferragus  and  Ascabart.    Fabled  giants. 

575.  Menials.     Servants.  — 578.  Port.     Bearing,  deportment. 

580.  More  than  kindred  knew.  Ellen's  mother  being  dead,  she  loved 
this  Lady  Margaret,  her  maternal  aunt,  as  .though  she  were  her  mother, 
and  treated  her  as  such.     S.  »&  M. 

585.  Unasked  his  birth  and  name.  The  Highlanders,  who  carried 
hospitality  to  a  punctilious  excess,  are  said  to  have  considered  it  as  churlish 
to  ask  a  stranger  his  name  or  lineage,  before  he  had  taken  refreshment. 
Feuds  were  so  frequent  among  them,  that  a  contrary  rule  would  in  many 
cases  have  produced  the  discovery  of  some  circumstance  which  might 
have  excluded  the  guest  of  the  benefit  of  the  assistance  he  stood  in  need 
of.    Scott. 


CANTO  I.  THE   CHASE.  29 

Such  then  the  reverence  to  a  guest, 

That  fellest  foe  might  join  the  feast, 

And  from  his  deacUiest  foeman's  door 

Unquestioned  turn,  the  banquet  o'er. 

At  length  his  rank  the  stranger  names,  590 

''  The  Knight  of  Snowdoun,  James  Fitz-James  ; 

Lord  of  a  barren  heritage, 

Which  his  brave  sires,  from  age  to  age. 

By  their  good  swords  had  held  with  toil 

His  sire  had  fallen  in  such  turmoil,  595 

And  he,  God  wot,  was  forced  to  stand 

Oft  for  his  right  with  blade  in  hand. 

This  morning  with  Lord  Moray's  train 

He  chased  a  stalwart  stag  in  vain. 

Outstripped  his  comrades,  missed  the  deer,       600 

Lost  his  good  steed,  and  wandered  here." 

XXX. 

Fain  would  the  Knight  in  turn  require 

The  name  and  state  of  Ellen's  sire. 

Well  showed  the  elder  lady's  mien 

That  courts  and  cities  she  had  seen ;  6O5 

Ellen,  though  more*  her  looks  displayed 

The  simple  grace  of  sylvan  maid, 

Li  speech  and  gesture,  form  and  face. 

Showed  she  was  come  of  gentle  race. 

'Twas  strange  in  ruder  rank  to  find  010 

Such  looks,  such  manners,  and  such  mind. 

Each  hint  the  Knight  of  Snowdoun  gave, 

Dame  Margaret  heard  with  silence  grave ; 

587.  Jellest.     Mostcruel.  -    591.   Snowdoun.    Name  of  Stirliug  Castle. 
SeeCaDtoVI.,liue789.— 592.  Heritage.   Inlieritauce.  —  596.  Wot.   Knows. 


28  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE.        canto  i 

Or  Ellen,  innocently  gay, 

Turned  all  inquiry  light  away  ;  —  t>i5 

"  Weird  women  we  I  by  dale  and  down 

We  dwell,  afar  from  tower  and  town. 

We  stem  the  flood,  we  ride  the  blast, 

On  wandering  knights  our  spells  we  cast ; 

While  viewless  minstrels  touch  the  string,         t)20 

'Tis  thus  our  charmed  rhymes  we  sing." 

She  sung,  and  still  a  harp  unseen 

Filled  up  the  symphony  between. 

XXXL 

Soldier,  rest!  thy  warfare  o'er, 

Sleep  the  sleep  that  knows  not  breaking ;       g25 
Dream  of  battled  fields  no  more. 

Days  of  danger,  nights  of  waking. 
In  our  isle's  enchanted  hall, 

Hands  unseen  thy  couch  are  strewing, 
Fairy  strains  of  music  fall,  tj30 

Every  sense  in  slumber  dewing. 
Soldier,  rest  I  thy  warfare  o'er, 
Dream  of  fighting  fields  no  more  ; 
Sleep  the  sleep  that  knows  not  breaking, 
Morn  of  toil,  nor  night  of  waking.  635 

"  No  rude  sound  shall  reach  thine  ear,    ' 
Armor's  clang  or  war-steed  champing, 

Trump  nor  pibroch  summon  here 

Mustering  clan  or  squadron  tramping. 

616.   Weird.      Skilled  in  witchcraft. —63L   Dewing.      Bedewing;    re- 
freshing. —  638.  Pi'brocli.     A  Highland  air  played  upon  the  bagpipe. 


CAN-TO  I.  THE    CHASE.  31 

Yet  the  lark's  shrill  fife  may  come  f>4<' 

At  the  daybreak  from  the  fallow, 
And  the  bittern  sound  his  drum, 

Booming  from  the  sedgy  shallow. 
Ruder  sounds  shall  none  be  near, 
(ruards  nor  warders  challenge  here,  '>^-' 

Here's  no  war-steed's  neigh  and  champing, 
Shouting  clans  or  squadrons  stamping."' 

xxxn. 

She  paused,  —  then,  blushing,  led  the  lay, 

To  grace  the  stranger  of  the  day. 

Her  mellow  notes  awhile  prolong  650 

The  cadence  of  the  flowing  song. 

Till  to  her  lips  in  measured  frame 

The  minstrel  verse  spontaneous  came. 

^ong  Contimub. 

"  Huntsman,  rest !  thy  chase  is  done  ; 

While  our  slumbrous  spells  assail  ye,  655 

Dream  not,  with  the  rising  sun. 

Bugles  here  shall  sound  reveille. 
Sleep !  the  deer  is  in  his  den  ; 

Sleep  !  thy  hounds  are  by  thee  lyiug ; 
vSleep  I  nor  dream  in  3^onder  glen  660 

How  th}^  gallant  steed  lay  dying. 

()41.  Fallow.    Ploughed  land  for  some  time  uncultivated. 

042.   Bittern.    A  wading  bird,  allied  to  the  heron. 

643.  Sedgy.  Covered  with  a  kind  of  plant  which  resembles  coarse  grass 
or  rash,  and  grows  in  tufts.  —  045.   Warders.     Keepers  or  sentinels. 

051.   Cadence.    The  falling  or  variation  of  the  voice. 

057.  Keveille  [Revdl'ya].  The  beat  of  drums,  or  bugle-call  at  day- 
break for  awakening  the  soldiers. 


32  THE    LADY    OF   THE    LAKE.  canto  i. 

Huntsman,  rest !  thy  chase  is  done  ; 

Think  not  of  the  rising  sun, 

For  at  dawning  to  assail  ye 

Here  no  bugles  sound  reveille."  mT^ 

xxxTir. 

The  hall  was  cleared,  —  the  stranger's  bed, 

Was  there  of  mountain  heather  spread, 

Where  oft  a  hundred  guests  had  lain, 

And  dreamed  their  forest  sports  again. 

But  vainly  did  the  heath-flower  shed  670 

Its  moorland  fragrance  round  his  head ; 

Not  Ellen's  spell  had  lulled  to  rest 

The  fever  of  his  troubled  breast. 

In  broken  dreams  the  image  rose 

Of  varied  perils,  pains,  and  woes  :  675 

His  steed  now  flounders  in  the  brake, 

Now  sinks  his  barge  upon  the  lake ; 

Now  leader  of  a  broken  host, 

His  standard  falls,  his  honor's  lost. 

Then,  —  from  my  couch  may  heavenly  might    680 

Chase  that  worst  phantom  of  the  night !  — 

Again  returned  the  scenes  of  youth, 

Of  confident,  undoubting  truth  ; 

Again  his  soul  he  interchanged 

With  friends  whose  hearts  were  long  estranged.  685 

They  come,  in  dim  procession  led. 

The  cold,  the  faithless,  and  the  dead; 

As  warm  each  hand,  each  brow  as  gay, 

As  if  they  parted  yesterday. 

681.   Phantom.     A  vision  of  the  fancy;  a  ghost. 


CANTO  I  THE   CHASE.  33 

And  doubt  distracts  him  at  the  view,  —  690 

O  were  his  senses  false  or  true? 
Dreamed  he  of  death  or  broken  vow, 
Or  is  it  all  a  vision  now  ? 

XXXIV. 

At  length,  Avith  Ellen  in  a  grove 
He  seemed  to  walk  and  speak  of  love ;  C95 

She  listened  with  a  blush  and  sigh. 
His  suit  was  warm,  his  hopes  were  liigh. 
He  sought  her  yielded  hand  to  clasp, 
And  a  cold  gauntlet  met  his  grasp : 
The  phantom's  sex  was  changed  and  gone,        too 
Upon  its  head  a  helmet  shone  ; 
Slowly  enlarged  to  giant  size. 
With  darkened  cheek  and  threatening  eyes, 
The  grisly  visage,  stern  and  hoar, 
,  To  Ellen  still  a  likeness  bore. —  705 

He  woke,  and,  panting  with  affright. 
Recalled  the  vision  of  the  night. 
The  hearth's  decaying  brands  were  red. 
And  deep  and  dusky  lustre  shed, 
Half  showing,  half  concealing,  all  710 

The  uncouth  trophies  of  the  hall. 
'Mid  those  the  stranger  fixed  his  eye 
Where  that  huge  falchion  hung  on  high, 
And  thoughts  on  thoughts,  a  countless  throng. 
Rushed,  chasing  countless  thoughts  along,         7i5 
Until,  the  giddy  whirl  to  cure, 
He  rose  and  sought  the  moonshine  pure. 

699,  Gauntlet.    A  glove  protected  on  the  back  with  metal,  and  formerly 
used  in  battle.  —  704.  Grisly  visage.     Frightful  face. 


34  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  i. 

XXXV. 

The  wild  rose,  eglantine,  and  broom 

Wasted  around  their  rich  perfume  ; 

The  birch-trees  wept  in  fragrant  balm ;  720 

The  aspens  slept  beneath  the  calm; 

The  silver  light,  with  quivering  glance, 

Played  on  the  water's  still  expanse,  —  ^-. . 

Wild  were  the  heart  whose  passion's  sway 

Could  rage  beneath  the  sober  ray !  72.") 

He  felt  its  caLiu  that  warrior  guest. 

While  thus  he  communed  with  his  breast :  — 

"  Why  is  it,  at  each  turn  I  trace 

Some  memory  of  that  exiled  race  ? 

Can  I  not  mountain  maiden  spy,  730 

But  she  must  bear  the  Douglas  eye? 

Can  I  not  view  a  Highland  brand, 

But  it  must  match  the  Douglas  hand  ? 

Can  I  not  frame  a  fevered  dream. 

But  still  the  Douglas  is  the  theme?  735 

I'll  dream  no  more,  —  by  manly  mind 

Not  even  in  sleep  is  will  resigned. 

My  midnight  orisons  said  o'er, 

I'll  turn  to  rest,  and  dream  no  more." 

His  midnight  orisons  he  told,  740 

A  prayer  with  every  bead  of  gold. 

Consigned  to  heaven  his  cares  and  woes, 

And  sunk  in  undisturbed  repose, 

Until  the  heath-cock  shrilly  crew. 


And  morning  dawned  on  Benvenue. 

7.'^2.   Brand.     Sword.— 73S.   Orisons.     Prayers. 


(+.) 


OUTLTXE   OF   CANTO   SECOXD. 


The  stranger,  ^vllo  has  aiiiiounced  himself  as  "the  knight  of 
Snowdoun,  James  Fitz-James,"  leaves  the  island  in  the  early  morn- 
ing. The  old  minstrel  speeds  him  on  his  way  with  a  song  of 
farewell,  and  Ellen  w^atches  his  departure  with  an  interest  for 
which  she  soon  reproaches  herself,  as  implying  disloyalty  to  her 
lover,  Malcolm  Grceme.  She  calls  upon  the  old  man  to  sing  her 
Malcolm's  praises;  but  Allan  has  not  forgotten  the  fallen  sword 
of  yesternight :  it  is  to  him  an  omen  of  evil.  He  attempts  in  vain 
a  joyous  strain  ;  involuntarily  he  touches  but  chords  of  woe.  The 
maiden  tries  to  assuase  his  fears  bv  a  more  cheerful  view  of  their 
fortunes ;  for  she  can  hardly  remember  the  proud  days  which  he 
regrets.  But  Allan's  discernment  sees  a  new  danger  to  her  peace 
which  she  has  not  yet  suspected  :  the  rough  chief  w-hose  hospitality 
now  shelters  them  is  hoping  for  his  reward  in  his  cousin's  hand. 
Besides  this,  he  suspects  this  stranger  guest ;  his  coming  can  bring- 
no  good.  Their  conversation  is  interrupted  by  the  sounds  of 
music,  and  the  proud  pibroch,  followed  by  a  vigorous  "Boat  Song," 
introduces  us  to  this  rough  cousin,  Roderick  the  Black,  on  his 
return  from  a  Lowdand  raid.  His  mother,  with  her  maids,  comes 
down  to  welcome  him.  Ellen,  who,  with  her  eyes  opened,  is  un- 
willing to  do  aught  that  may  seem  to  favor  his  suit,  is  reluctantly 
following,  when  she  hears  her  father's  bugle-horn,  and  darts  aside 
to  her  skiff  to  convey  him  from  the  mainland.  With  him  comes 
Malcolm  Grseme,  who  has  been  his  guide,  and  who  is  no  welcome 
guest  to  Roderick,  though  he  does  not  fail  in  hospitality.  Roderick 
receives  news  of  a  sus])icious  gathering  of  the  king's  forces,  and  of 
the  discovery  of  Douglas's  retreat.  The  latter  ]»roposes  to  with- 
draw, and  so  save  his  host  from  peril;    but  Rodt^rick   seizes  the 


36  OUTLINE  or  CANTO  SECOND. 

opportunity  of  making  his  proposal  for  his  cousin's  hand.  With 
the  Douglas  by  his  side,  he  may  set  the  king  at  defiance.  Douglas 
watches  its  effect  upon  his  daughter,  and,  seeing  that  "  her  affec- 
tions do  not  that  way  tend,"  courteously  declines  the  offer.  Ellen, 
unable  to  bear  the  sight  of  her  cousin's  despair,  rises  to  leave  the 
room,  and  Malcolm  has  the  bad  taste  to  come  forward,  as  of  right, 
to  be  her  escort.  Roderick  cannot  brook  this  parade  of  successful 
rivalry,  and  a  somewhat  unseemly  encounter  follows,  which  ends 
in  Malcolm  swimming  across  to  the  mainland  rather  than  be 
indebted  to  his  rival. 

Some  of  the  mystery  of  the  previous  canto  is  removed  in  this, 
and  we  learn  in  the  most  natural  way  the  former  grandeur  of  the 
Douglas  family,  and  their  present  outlawry ;  the  character  of  their 
protector,  and  his  hopes  of  reward.  Our  interest  in  the  fallen 
house  is  increased  by  the  noble  contentment  with  which  they  bear 
their  change  of  fortune.  Complaint  comes  from  the  minstrel,  not 
from  Ellen  or  her  father.  The  latter  finds  greater  happiness  in 
his  daughter's  truth  and  affection  than  in  his  former  pomp,  and  is 
prepared  rather  to  face  fresh  ills  as  an  outcast  than  to  raise  his 
hand  against  the  king,  who  has  done  him  wrong,  but  whom  still 
he  loves.  —  Taylok. 


THE    ISLAND. 


At  morn  the  black-cock  trims  his  jetty  wing, 

'Tis  morning  prompts  the  linnet's  blithest  lay, 
All  Nature's  children  feel  the  matin  spring 

Of  life  reviving,  with  reviving  day ; 
And  while  yon  little  bark  glides  down  the  bay, 

Wafting  the  stranger  on  his  way  again. 
Morn's  genial  influence  roused  a  minstrel  gray. 

And  sweetly  o'er  the  lake  was  heard  thy  strain, 
^Nlixed  with  tlie   sounding  harp,  0  white-haired 
Allan-bane  ! 


II. 

"  Not  faster  yonder  rowers'  might  lo 

Flings  from  their  oars  the  spray, 
Not  faster  yonder  rippling  bright. 
That  tracks  the  shallop's  course  in  light. 

Melts  in  the  lake  away, 
Than  men  from  memory  erase  15 

The  benefits  of  former  days  ; 

2.  Linnet.  A  small  siuging-bird.  —  Lay.  Song. —3.  Matin  [3/«rm] . 
Morning. —«•.  White-haired  Allan-bane.  To  a  late  period  Highland 
chieftains  retained  in  their  service  the  bard,  as  a  family  officer. 


38  THE   LADY    0¥    THE    LAKE.  canto  ii. 

Then,  stranger,  go !  good  speed  the  while, 
Nor  think  agam  of  the  lonely  isle. 

'*  High  place  to  thee  in  royal  court, 

High  place  in  battled  line,  -t> 

Good  hawk  and  hound  for  sylvan  sport ! 

Where  beauty  sees  the  brave  resort, 

The  honored  meed  be  thine  I  """ 

True  be  thy  sword,  thy  friend  sincere, 

Thy  lady  constant,  kind,  and  dear,  -^5 

And  lost  in  love's  and  friendship's  smile 

Be  memory  of  the  lonely  isle  ! 

III. 

'^  But  if  beneath  yon  southern  sky 

A  plaided  stranger  roam. 
Whose  drooping  crest  and  stifled  sigli,  30 

And  sunken  cheek  and  heavy  eye, 

Pine  for  his  Highland  home  ; 
Then,  warrior,  then  be  thine  to  show 
The  care  that  soothes  a  wanderer's  ^yoe ; 
Remember  then  thy  hap  erewhile,  35 

A  stranger  in  the  lonely  isle. 

"  Or  if  on  life's  uncertain  main 

Mishap  shall  mar  thy  sail ; 
If  faithful,  wise,  and  brave  in  vain, 
Woe,  want,  and  exile  thou  sustain  40 

Beneath  the  fickle  gale  ; 

17.  Speed.     Success.  — 23.   Meed.     Reward.— 29.  Plaided.     See  plaid, 
line  363,  Canto  I. —35.   Hap.     Lot  or  fortune. —37.   Main.     Sea. 


CAN-TO  II.  THE    ISLAND.  89 

Waste  not  a  sigh  on  fortune  changed. 
On  thankless  courts,  or  friends  estranged, 
But  come  where  kindred  wurth  shall  smile. 
To  greet  thee  in  the  lonely  isle."  4.-. 

IV. 

As  died  the  sounds  upon  the  tide, 

The  shallop  reached  the  mainland  side. 

And  ere  his  onward  way  he  took, 

The  stranger  cast  a  lingering  look. 

Where  easily  his  eye  miglit  reach  so 

The  Harper  on  the  islet  beach, 

Reclined  against  a  blighted  tree. 

As  wasted,  gray,  and  worn  as  he. 

To  minstrel  meditation  given, 

His  reverend  brow  was  raised  to  heaven,  55 

As  from  the  rising  sun  to  claim 

A  sparkle  of  inspiring  flame. 

His  hand,  reclined  upon  the  wire, 

Seemed  watching  the  awakening  fire ; 

So  still  he  sat  as  those  who  wait  60 

Till  judgment  speak  the  doom  of  fate  ; 

So  still,  as  if  no  breeze  might  dare 

To  lift  one  lock  of  lioary  hair ; 

So  still,  as  life  itself  were  fled 

In  the  last  sound  his  harp  had  sped.  <v) 

V. 

Upon  a  rock  with  lichens  wild. 
Beside  him  Ellen  sat  and  smiled.  — 

(i().   Lichens  [Li'k-i'ns].    Patches   of  grayish   plauts,  improperly  called 
mosses,  gruwiug  on  rocks  uud  trees. 


40 


THE    LADY   OE   THE   LAKE. 


CANTO    II. 


Smiled  she  to  see  the  stately  drakes 
Lead  forth  his  fleet  upon  the  lake^^^^ 
While  her  vexed  spaniel  from  the  bead 
Bayed  at  the  prize  beyond  his  reach 
Yet  tell  me,  then,  the  maid  who  know^ 
Why  deepened  on  her  cheek  thero^^y— 
Forgive,  forgive.  Fidelity 
Perchance  the  maiden  smiled  to 
Yon  parting  lingerer  wave  adieu. 
And  stop  and  turn  to  wave  anew 
And,  lovely  ladies,  ere  your  ire 
Condemn  the  heroine  of  my  lyr( 
Show  me  the  fair  would  scorn  to  sp^ 
And  prize  such  conquest  of  her  eye 


70 


75 


80 


VI. 

While  yet  he  loitered  on  the  spot^ 
It  seemed  as  Ellen  marked  him  nol 
But  when  he  turned  him  to  tlie  glad^ 
One  courteous  parting  sign  she  made 
And  after,  oft  the  knight  would  mjj 
That  not  when  prize  of  festal  da;v 
Was  dealt  him  by  the  brightest  fab. 
Who  e'er  wore  jewel  in  her  hair, 
So  highly  did  his  bosom  swell. 
As  at  that  simple  mute  farewell 
Now  with  a  trusty  mountain-guic 
And  his  dark  stag-hounds  by  his  sid) 
He  parts,  —  the  maid,  unconscious  stil 
Watched  him  wind  slowly  round  the  hill 


85 


90 


95 


69.  Fleet.     The  ducks  sailing  over  the  waters. 


CANTO    II. 


THE    ISLAND.  41 


But  when  liis  stately  form  was  hid, 

The  guardian  in  her  bosom  ohid,  — 

"  Thy  Malcolm  !  vain  and  selfish  maid  !  " 

'Twas  thus  upbraiding  conscience  said,  — 

"  Not  so  liad  Malcolm  idly  hung  loo 

On  the  smooth  phrase  of  Southern  tongue ; 

Not  so  had  Malcolm  strained  his  eye 

Another  step  than  thine  to  spy."  — 

''  Wake,  Allan-bane,"  aloud  she  cried 

To  the  old  minstrel  by  her  side,  —  105 

"  Arouse  thee  from  thy  moody  dream ! 

I'll  give  thy  harp  heroic  theme, 

And  warm  thee  with  a  noble  name ; 

Pour  forth  the  glory  of  the  Graeme  !  " 

Scarce  from  her  lip  the  word  had  rushed,  no 

When  deep  the  conscious  maiden  blushed ; 

For  of  his  clan,  in  hall  and  bower. 

Young  Malcolm  Graeme  was  held  the  flower. 

109.  Graeme.  The  ancient  and  powerful  family  of  Graham  (which,  for 
metrical  reasons,  is  here  spelt  after  the  Scottish  pronunciation)  held  ex- 
tensive possessions  in  the  counties  of  Dumbarton  and  Stirling.  Few 
families  can  boast  of  more  historical  renown,  having  claim  to  three  of  the 
most  remarkable  characters  in  the  Scottish  annals.  Sir  John  the  Graeme, 
the  faithful  and  undaunted  partaker  of  the  labors  and  j^atriotic  warfare  of 
Wallace,  fell  in  the  unfortunate  field  of  Falkirk,  in  1298.  The  celebrated 
Marquis  of  Montrose,  in  whom  De  Retz  saw  realized  his  abstract  idea  of 
the  heroes  of  antiquity,  was  the  second  of  these  worthies.  And,  notwith- 
standing the  severity  of  his  temper,  and  the  rigor  with  which  he  executed 
the  oppressive  mandates  of  the  princes  whom  he  served,  I  do  not  hesitate 
to  name  as  a  third,  John  Graeme  of  Claverhouse,  Viscount  of  Dimdee, 
whose  heroic  death  in  the  arms  of  victory  may  be  allowed  to  cancel  the 
memory  of  his  cruelty  to  the  Nonconformists,  during  the  reigns  of  Charles 
II.  and  James  II.    Scott. 

112.  Bower.  Chamber  or  lady's  parlor.  "In  hall  or  bower."  In 
assemblies  of  men  and  women.  —  Clan.  A  number  of  families  united  under 
one  chieftain,  having  a  common  ancestor,  and  bearing  the  same  surname. 


42  THE    LADY    OF    THE    LAKP:.  canto  ii. 


VII. 


The  minstrel  waked  his  haqj,  —  three  times 
Arose  the  well-known  martial  ehimes,  us 

And  thrice  their  high  heroic  pride 
In  melancholy  murmurs  died. 
''  Vainly  thou  bidst,  O  noble  maid," 
Clasping  his  withered  hands,  he  said, 
"  Vainly  thou  bidst  me  wake  the  strain,  120 

Though  all  unwont  to  bid  in  vain.  ^ 

Alas  !  than  mine  a  mightier  hand 
Has  tuned  my  harp,  my  strings  has  spanned ! 
T  touch  the  chords  of  joy,  but  low 
And  mournful  answer  notes  of  woe  ;  125 

And  the  proud  march  which  victors  tread 
Sinks  in  the  wailing  for  the  dead. 
O,  well  for  me,  if  mine  alone 
That  dirge's  deep  prophetic  tone ! 
If,  as  my  tuneful  fathers  said,  .  iy^> 

This  heart,  which  erst  Saint  Modan  swayed. 
Can  thus  its  master's  fate  foretell. 
Then  welcome  be  the  minstrel's  knell  I 

VIII. 

"But  ah  !  dear  lady,  thus  it  sighed. 
The  eve  thy  sainted  mother  died  ; 


185 


121.   Unwont.    Unaccustomed.  — 131.   Erst.     Formerly. 

131.  Saint  Modan.  I  am  not  prepared  to  show  that  Saint  Modan  was 
a  performer  on  the  harp.  It  was,  however,  no  uusaintly  accomplishment; 
for  Saint  Dunstan  certainly  did  play  upon  that  instrument,  which  retaining, 
as  was  natural,  a  portion  of  the  sanctity  attached  to  its  master's  character, 
announced  future  events  by  Hi  spontaneous  sound.     Scott. 

133.   Knell.     A  death  sigual  or  note  of  evil  omen. 


CANTO    II. 


THE    ISLAND.  43 


And  such  the  sounds  which,  while  I  strove 

To  wake  a  laj  of  w^'  or  love, 

Came  marring  all  the  festal  njirth^ 

Appalling  me  who  gave  them  birth. 

And,  disobedient  to  my  oaii,  i-io 

Wailed  loud  through  Bothwell's  bannered  hall. 

Ere  Douglases,  to  ruin  driven. 

Were  exiled  from  their  native  heaven.  — 

O !  if  yet  worse  mishap  and  woe 

My  master's  house  must  undergo,  145 

Or  aught  but  weal  to  Ellen  fair 

Brood  in  these  accents  of  despair. 

No  future  bard,  sad  Harp !  shall  fling 

Triumph  or  rapture  from  thy  string ; 

One  short,  one  final  strain  shall  flow,  150 

Fraught  with  unutterable  woe. 

Then  shivered  shall  thy  fragments  lie. 

Thy  master  cast  him  down  and  die  !  " 

141.  Bothwell's  bannered  hall.  Bothwell  Castle,  now  in  ruius,  situ- 
ated near  Glasgow  on  the  Clyde. 

142.  Douglases.  The  Douglas  family  had  been  exceedingly  powerful 
ever  since  the  great  wars  with  England,  when  James  Douglas  had  been  the 
chief  friend  of  Bruce,  the  champion  of  national  independence.  The  Earls 
of  Douglas  and  of  Angus,  with  their  many  relatives,  had  since  grown  so 
powerful  and  unscrupulous  as  to  be  the  terror  of  kings  and  people ;  so  that 
it  was  said  that  no  justice  could  be  obtained  against  a  Douglas  or  a  Doug- 
las's man.  Archibald  Douglas,  Earl  of  Angus,  had  married  Margaret 
Tudor,  the  mother  of  James  V.,  and  the  young  king,  in  his  boyhood,  had 
been  held  in  such  subjection  that  when  at  last  he  made  his  escape  from 
the  numerous  Douglases  who  guarded  and  watched  him,  he  hated  the  very 
name  of  the  family,  and  banished  every  one  of  them,  including  a  brave  old 
man,  Douglas  of  Kilsjuudie,  who  had  been  a  great  favorite  with  him  in  his 
cliildhood,  and  from  whom  the  character  of  the  Douglas  of  the  poem  is 
taken.    Yonge. 

151.   Fraught.     Filled. 


44  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  ii. 

IX. 

Sootliing  she  answered  him  :  "  Assuage, 

Mine  honored  fnend,  the  fears  of  age  ;  155 

All  melodies  to  thee  are  known 

That  har])_has  rung  or  pipe  has  blown, 

In  Lowland  vale  or  Highland  glen, 

From  Tweed  to  Spej  —  what  niarvel,  then, 

At  times  unbidden  notes  should  rise,  160 

Confusedly  bound  in  memory's  ties, 

Entangling,  as  they  rush  along. 

The  war-maj^h  with  the  funeral  song  ?  — 

Small  ground  is  now  for  boding  fear; 

Obscure,  but  safe,  we  rest  us  here.  165 

My  sij^,  in  native  virtue  great, 

Resigning  lordship,  lands,  and  state. 

Not  then  to  fortune  more  resigned 

Than  yonder  oak  might  give  the  wind  ; 

The  graceful  foliage  storms  may  reave,  170 

The  noble  stem  they  cannot  grieve. 

For  me  "  — she  stooped,  and,  looking  round. 

Plucked  a  blue  harebell  from  the  ground,  — 

"  For  me,  whose  memory  scarce  conveys 

An  image  of  more  splendid  da^,  its 

This  little  flower  that  loves  the  lea 

May  well  my  simple  emblem  be ; 

It  drinks  heaven's  dew  as  blithe  as  rose 

That  in  the  King's  own  garden  grows  ; 

154.  Assuage.  Soothe  or  abate.  — 159.  Tweed  and  Spey.  Throughout 
the  whole  country,  the  Tweed  being  the  southern  boundary  and  the  Spey 
in  the  far  north.  — 164.  Boding.  Foretelling.  — 170.  Reave.  To  tear  from 
or  sweep  away.  — 173.  Harebell.  A  plant  which  bears  blue,  bell-shaped 
ilowers;  called  also  the  bluebell  of  Scotland. 

17().   Lea.     Meadow,  pasture  —177.   Emblem.     Symbol  or  type. 


CANTO  II.  THE    ISLAND.  45 

And  when  I  place  it  in  my  hair,  180 

Allan,  a  bard  is  bound  to  swear 

He  ne'er  saw  coronet  so  fair." 

Then  playfully  the  chaplet  wild 

She  wreathed  in  her  dark  locks,  and  smiled. 


X. 

Her  smile,  her  speech,  with  winning  sway,        i85 

Wiled  the  old  Harper's  mood  away. 

With  such  a  look  as  hermits  throw. 

When  angels  stoop  to  soothe  their  woe. 

He  gazed,  till  fond  regret  and  pride 

Thrilled  to  a  tear,  then  thus  replied :  190 

''  Loveliest  and  best !  thou  little  know'st 

The  rank,  the  honors,  thou  hast  lost ! 

O,  might  I  live  to  see  thee  grace. 

In  Scotland's  court,  thy  birthright  place. 

To  see  my  favorite's  step  advance  195 

The  lightest  in  the  courtly  dance. 

The  cause  of  every  gallant's  sigh, 

And  leading  star  of  every  eye. 

And  theme  of  every  minstrel's  art. 

The  Lady  of  the  Bleeding  Heart!  "  200 

XI. 

'*  Fair  dreams  are  these,"  the  maiden  cried,  — 
Light  was  her  accent,  yet  she  sighed,  — 

182.  Coronet.     The  small  crown  or  circlet  worn  by  peers  and  peeresses. 

186.  Wiled.  Beguiled.  —  200.  The  Bleeding  Heart.  The  shield  of  the 
Douglas  family  bore  a  red  heart  crowned,  in  remembrance  of  the  charge 
given  on  his  death-bed  by  Robert  Bruce  to  James  Douglas  to  bear  his  heart 
to  Jerusalem. 


46  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE.       canto  ii. 

"  Yet  is  this  mossy  rock  to  me 

Worth  splendid  chair  and  canopy  ; 

Nor  would  my  footstep  spring  more  gay  -'05 

In  courtly  dance  than  blithe  strathspey, 

Nor  half  so  pleased  mine  ear  incline 

To  royal  minstrel's  lay  as  thine. 

And  then  for  suitors  proud  and  high, 

To  bend  before  my  conquering  eye,  —  210 

Thou,  flattering  bard  !  thyself  wilt  say, 

That  grim  Sir  Roderick  owns  its  sway. 

The  Saxon  scourge,  Clan-Alpine's  pride. 

The  terror  of  Loch  Lomond's  side, 

Would,  at  my  suit,  thou  know'st,  delay  215 

A  Lennox  foray  —  for  a  day."  — 

XII. 

The  ancient  bard  her  glee  repressed : 

"  111  hast  thou  chosen  theme  for  jest ! 

For  who,  through  all  this  western  wild, 

Named  Black  Sir  Roderick  e'er,  and  smiled  ?    220 

In  Holy-Rood  a  knight  he  slew ; 

I  saw,  when  back  the  dirk  he  drew, 

20(3.  Strathspey.     A  lively  Scottish  dance. 

213.  Alpine.    An  ancient  king  from  whom  several  clans  claimed  descent. 

214.  Loch  Lomond.  One  of  the  largest  and  most  beautiful  of  Scottish 
lakes,  near  Loch  Katrine. 

216.  Lennox  foray.  The  raid  of  a  body  of  armed  men,  for  the  sake  of 
plunder,  into  the  territory  of  the  Lennox  family,  which  lay  around  the 
south  end  of  Loch  Lomond. 

220.  Black  Sir  Roderick.     See  note,  1.  408. 

221.  Holy-Rood.  A  castle  in  Edinburgh,  the  residence  of  the  royal 
family  of  Scotland. —In  Holy-Rood  a  knight  he  slew.  This  was  by  no 
means  an  uncommon  occurrence  in  the  Court  of  Scotland;  nay,  the 
presence  of  the  sovereign  himself  scarcely  restrained  the  ferocious  and 
inveterate  feuds  which  were  the  perpetual  source  of  bloodshed  among  the 
Scottish  nobility.    Scott. 


CANTO  II.  THE   ISLAND.  47 

Courtiers  give  place  before  the  stride 
Of  the  undaunted  homicide  ; 

And  since,  though  outhiwed,  hath  his  hand       225 
Full  sternly  kept  his  mountain  land. 
.  Who  else  dared  give  —  ah  !  woe  the  day, 
That  I  such  hated  truth  should  say  !  — 
The  Douglas,  like  a  stricken  deer, 
Disowned  by  every  noble  peer,  230 

Even  the  rude  refuge  we  have  here  ? 
Alas,  this  wild  marauding  Chief 
Alone  might  hazard  our  relief. 
And  now  thy  maiden  charms  expand, 
Looks  for  his  guerdon  in  thy  hand ;  235 

Full  soon  may  dispensation  sought. 
To  back  his  suit,  from  Rome  be  brought. 

224.  Undaunted.  Bold,  fearless.  —  Homicide.  A  person  who  kills 
another.  — 225.   Outlawed.     Deprived  of  the  protection  of  the  law. 

230.  Disowned  by  every  noble  peer.  The  exiled  state  of  this  powerful 
race  is  not  exaggerated  in  this  and  subsequent  passages.  The  hatred  of 
James  against  the  race  of  Douglas  was  so  inveterate,  that,  numerous  as 
their  allies  were,  and  disregarded  as  the  regal  authority  had  usually  been 
in  similar  cases,  their  nearest  friends,  even  in  the  most  remote  parts  of 
Scotland,  durst  not  entertain  them,  unless  under  the  strictest  and  closest 
disguise.  James  D>ouglas,  son  of  the  banished  Earl  of  Angus,  afterwards 
well  known  by  the  title  of  Earl  of  Morton,  lurked,  during  the  exile  of  his 
family,  in  the  north  of  Scotland,  under  the  assumed  name  of  James  Tunes, 
otherwise  James  the  Grieve  {i.e.,  Reve  or  Bailiff).  "And  as  he  bore  the 
name,"  says  Godscroft,  "so  did  he  also  execute  the  office  of  a  grieve  or 
overseer  of  the  lands  and  rents,  the  corn  and  cattle  of  him  with  whom  he 
lived."  From  the  habits  of  frugality  and  observation  which  he  acquired 
in  his  humble  situation,  the  historian  traces  that  intimate  acquaintance 
with  poi^ular  character,  which  enabled  him  to  rise  so  high  in  the  state,  and 
that  honorable  economy  by  w^hich  he  repaired  and  established  the  shattered 
estates  of  Angus  and  ISIorton.     Scott.  —232.  Marauding.     Plundering. 

233.   Hazard  our  relief.     Run  the  risk  of  helping  Ellen  and  her  father. 

235.   Guerdon.     Reward. 

2;^;.  Dispensation.  The  granting  of  a  license  by  the  Pope  ;  in  this 
case  permission  for  Roderick  to  marry  his  cousin  Ellen. 


48  THE   LADY   OF   THE    LAKE.  panto  ii. 

Then,  though  an  exile  on  the  hill, 

Thy  father,  as  the  Douglas,  still 

Be  held  in  reverence  and  fear ;  240 

And  though  to  Roderick  thou'rt  so  dear 

That  thou  niightst  guide  with  silken  thread. 

Slave  of  thy  will,  this  chieftain  dread, 

Yet,  O  loved  maid,  thy  mirth  refrain ! 

Thy  hand  is  on  a  lion's  mane." —  245 


XIII. 

"Minstrel,"  the  maid  replied,  and  high 

Her  father's  soul  glanced  from  her  eye, 

"My  debts  to  Roderick's  house  I  know: 

All  that  a  mother  could  bestow 

To  Lady  Margaret's  care  I  owe,  250 

Since  first  an  orphan  in  the  wild 

She  sorrowed  o'er  her  sister's  child ; 

To  her  brave  chieftain  son,  from  ire 

Of  Scotland's  king  who  shrouds  my  sire, 

A  deeper,  holier  debt  is  owed  ;  255 

And,  could  I  pay  it  with  my  blood, 

Allan  !  Sir  Roderick  should  command 

My  blood,  my  life,  —  but  not  my  hand. 

Rather  will  Ellen  Douglas  dwell 

A  votaress  in  Maronnan's  cell ;  2(;o 

Rather  through  realms  beyond  the  sea, 

Seeking  the  Avorld's  cold  charity, 

254.   Shrouds.     Protects. 

260.  Votaress.  A  woman  devoted  to  any  particular  service  or  worship. 
—  Maronnan.  The  parish  of  Kilmarouock,  at  the  eastern  extremity  of 
Loch  Lomond,  derives  its  name  from  a  cell  or  chapel,  dedicated  to  Saint 
Maronnan.    Scott. 


CANTO    II. 


THE    ISLAND.  40 

Where  ne'er  was  spoke  a  Scottish  word, 

And  ne'er  the  name  of  Douglas  heard, 

An  outcast  pilgrim  will  she  rove,  265 

Than  wed  the  man  she  cannot  love. 

XIV. 
"  Thou  shak'st,  good  friend,  thy  tresses  gray,  — 
That  pleading  look,  what  can  it  say 
But  w^hat  I  own  ?  —  I  grant  him  brave. 
But  wild  as  Bracklinn's  thundering  wave  ;        270 
And  generous,  —  save  vindictive  mood 
Or  jealous  transport  chafe  his  blood : 
I  grant  him  true  to  friendly  band, 
As  his  claymore  is  to  his  hand; 
But  O  !  that  very  blade  of  steel  275 

More  mercy  for  a  foe  would  feel : 
I  grant  him  liberal,  to  fling 
Among  his  clan  the  wealth  they  bring. 
When  back  by  lake  and  glen  they  wind. 
And  in  the  Lowland  leave  behind,  280 

Where  once  some  pleasant  hamlet  stood, 
A  mass  of  ashes  slaked  with  blood. 
The  hand  that  for  my  father  fought 
I  honor,  as  his  daughter  ought ; 
But  can  I  clasp  it  reeking  red  2s,^) 

From  peasants  slaughtered  in  their  shed  ? 
No  !  wildly  Avhile  his  virtues  gleam. 
They  make  his  passions  darker  seem, 

270.  Bracklinn.  This  is  a  beautiful  cascade  made  1)y  a  mountain 
stream  called  the  Keltic,  at  a  place  called  the  Bridge  of  Brackliuu,  about  a 
mile  from  the  village  of  Callander.  Scott.  — 274.  Claymore.  A  large 
sword  formerly  used  by  the  Highlanders.  — 282.   Slaked.     Drenched. 

285.   Reeking  red.     Steaming  with  fresh  blood. 


50  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  n. 

And  flash  along  his  spirit  high, 

Like  lightning  o'er  the  midnight  sky.  290 

While  yet  a  child,  —  and  children  know, 

Instinctive  taught,  the  friend  and  foe,  — 

I  shuddered  at  his  brow  of  gloom, 

His  shadowy  plaid  and  sable  plume ; 

A  maiden  grown,  I  ill  could  bear  295 

His  haughty  mien  and  lordly  air : 

But,  if  thou  join'st  a  suitor's  claim, 

In  serious  mood,  to  Roderick's  name, 

I  thrill  with  anguish !  or,  if  e'er 

A  Douglas  knew  the  word,  with  fear.  300 

To  change  such  odious  theme  were  best,  — 

What  think'st  thou  of  our  stranger  guest?*'  — 

"  What  think  I  0:^^  him  ?  —  woe  the  while 

That  brought  such  wanderer  to  our  isle  ! 

Thy  father's  battle-brand,  of  yore  305 

For  Tine-man  forged  by  fairy  lore. 

What  time  he  leagued,  no  longer  foes, 

His  Border  spears  with  Hotspur's  bows. 

Did,  self-unscabbarded,  foreshow 

The  footstep  of  a  secret  foe.  3io 

If  courtly  spy  hath  harbored  here, 

What  may  we  for  the  Douglas  fear  ? 

294.  Sable.    Black.  — 297.   Suitor.     Lover. —305.  Yore.    Old  time. 

306.  Tine-man.  Archibald,  the  third  Earl  of  Douglas,  was  so  unfor- 
tunate in  all  his  enterprises,  that  he  acquired  the  epithet  of  Tine-man, 
because  he  fined,  or  lost,  his  followers  in  every  battle  which  he  fought. 
Scott.  —  307.  Leagued.     United  for  mutual  support. 

308.  His  Border  spears  with  Hotspur's  bows.  Tlie  reference  is  to  the 
alliance  of  Douglas  with  his  Scottish  spearmen,  and  the  English  under 
Percy,  or  Hotspur,  armed  with  the  cross-bow. 


CANTO    II. 


THE    ISLAND.  51 


What  for  this  island,  deemed  of  old 

Clan-Alpine's  last  and  surest  hold  ? 

If  neither  spy  nor  foe,  I  pray  31.5 

What  yet  may  jealous  Roderick  say?  — 

Nay,  wave  not  thy  disdainful  head ! 

Bethink  thee  of  the  discord  dread 

That  kindled  when  at  Beltane  game 

Thou  ledst  the  dance  with  Malcolm  Grgeme ;    ^20 

Still,  though  thy  sire  the  peace  renewed, 

Smoulders  in  Roderick's  breast  the  feud  : 

Beware  I  —  But  hark  !  what  sounds  are  these  ? 

My  dull  ears  catch  no  faltering  breeze, 

No  weeping  birch  nor  aspens  wake,  325 

Nor  breath  is  dimpling  in  the  lake ; 

Still  is  the  canna's  hoary  beard. 

Yet,  by  my  minstrel  faith,  I  heard  — 

And  hark  again  I  some  ^  ipe  of  war 

Sends  the  bold  pibroch  from  afar."  3.30 


XVI. 

Far  up  the  lengthened  lake  were  spied 

Four  darkening  specks  upon  the  tide. 

That,  slow  enlarging  on  the  view. 

Four  manned  and  masted  barges  grew. 

And,  bearing  downwards  from  Glengyle,  .'i35 

Steered  full  upon  the  lonely  isle ; 

The  point  of  Brianchoil  they  passed. 

And,  to  the  windward  as  they  cast, 

319.   Beltane  game.     A  May-day  festival  iu  honor  of  Beal,  the  Sun. 
celebrated  by  kindling  fires  on  the  hill-tops  and  other  ceremonies. 
325.   Cf.  I.  303. —327.   Canna.     Cotton-jfrass. 


52  THE    LADY    OF    THE    LAKE.  canto  ii. 

Against  the  sun  they  gave  to  shine 

The  bold  Sir  Roderick's  bannered  Pine.  340 

Nearer  and  nearer  as  tliey  bear, 

Spears,  pikes,  and  axes  flash  in  air. 

Now  might  you  see  the  tartans  brave, 

And  pLaids  and  plumage  dance  and  wave : 

Now  see  the  bonnets  sink  and  rise,  345 

As  his  tough  oar  the  rower  plies ; 

See,  flashing  at  each  sturdy  stroke. 

The  wave  ascending  into  smoke  ; 

See  the  proud  pipers  on  the  bow, 

And  mark  the  gaudy  streamers  flow  350 

From  their  loud  chanters  down,  and  sweep 

The  furrowed  bosom  of  the  deep, 

As,  rushing  through  the  lake  amain. 

They  plied  the  ancient  Highland  strain. 

^  XVII. 

Ever,  as  on  they  bore,  more  loud  355 

And  louder  rung  the  pibroch  proud. 

At  first  the  sounds,  by  distance  tame. 

Mellowed  along  the  waters  came. 

And,  lingering  long  by  cape  and  bay. 

Wailed  every  harsher  note  away,  360 

Then  bursting  bolder  on  the  ear. 

The  clan's  shrill  Gathering  they  coald  hear. 

Those  thrilling  sounds  that  call  the  might 

Of  old  Clan-Alpine  to  the  fight. 

340.   Bannered  Pine.     The  pine  was  the  badge  of  Clan-Alpine. 
343.  Tartans  brave.     Showy  plaids. 

345.  Bonnets.     The  ordinary  Scotch  cap  worn  by  men  is  called  a  bonnet 
in  Scotland.  —  '^rA.   Chanter.     Tube  of  the  bagpipe. 

363.   Thrilling  sounds,  etc.     The  connoisseurs  in  pipe-music  affect  to 


CANTO     II. 


THE    ISLAND.  53 

Thick  beat  the  rapid  notes,  as  when  365 

The  mustering  hundreds  shake  the  glen, 

And  hurrying  at  the  signal  dread, 

The  battered  earth  returns  their  tread. 

Then  prelude  light,  of  livelier  tone. 

Expressed  their  merry  marching  on,  370 

Ere  peal  of  closing  battle  rose. 

With  mingled  outcry,  shrieks,  and  blows ; 

And  mimic  din  of  stroke  and  ward, 

As  broadsword  upon  target  jarred ; 

And  groaning  pause,  ere  yet  again,  375 

Condensed,  the  battle  yelled  amain : 

The  rapid  charge,  the  rallying  shout. 

Retreat  borne  headlong  into  rout. 

And  bursts  of  triumph,  to  declare 

Clan-Alpine's  conquest — all  were  there.  380 

Nor  ended  thus  the  strain,  but  slow 

Sunk  in  a  moan  prolonged  and  low. 

And  changed  the  conquering  clarion  swell 

For  wild  lament  o'er  those  that  fell. 

XVIII. 

The  war-pipes  ceased,  but  lake  and  hill  3«5 

Were  busy  with  their  echoes  still ; 

And,  Avlien  they  slept,  a  vocal  strain 

Bade  their  hoarse  chorus  wake  again, 

While  loud  a  hundred  clansmen  raise 

Their  voices  in  their  Chieftain's  praise.  390 

discover,  in  a  well-composed  pibroch,  the  imitative  sounds  of  march,  con- 
flict, flight,  pursuit,  and  all  the  "  current  of  a  heady  fight."     Scott. 

369.   Prelude.     Introductory  musical  performance. 

373.   Ward.     Parry  or  defense. 

383.  Clarion.     A  kind  of  trumpet  whose  note  is  clear  and  shrill. 


54  THE    LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  ii. 

Each  boatman,  bending  to  his  oar, 

With  measured  sweep  the  burden  bore, 

In  such  wild  cadence  as  the  breeze 

Makes  through  December's  leafless  trees. 

The  chorus  first  could  Allan  know,  395 

''  Roderick  Vich  Alpine,  ho  !  iro  !  " 

And  near,  and  nearer  as  they  rowed, 

Distinct  the  martial  ditty  flowed. 

XIX. 

§oat  ^0ng. 
Hail  to  the  Chief  who  in  triumph  advances ! 

Honored  and  blest  be  the  ever-green  Pine  !       400 
Long  may  the  tree,  in  his  banner  that  glances. 
Flourish,  the  shelter  and  grace  of  our  line  I 
Heaven  send  it  happy  dew, 
Earth  lend  it  sap  anew, 
Gayly  to  bourgeon  and  broadly  to  grow,  405 

While  every  Highland  glen 
Sends  our  shout  back  again, 
"  Roderigh  Vich  Alpine  dhu,  ho  !  ieroe  !  " 


392.  Burden.  Chorus.  —  393.  Cadence.  A  regular  fall  or  modulation 
of  sound.  —  405,  Bourgeon  [Bur'Jan] .    To  bud  or  sprout. 

408.  Boderigh  Vich  Alpine.  Besides  his  ordinary  name  and  surname, 
which  were  chiefly  used  in  the  intercourse  with  the  Lowlands,  every  High- 
land chief  had  an  epithet  expressive  of  his  patriarchal  dignity  as  head  of 
the  clan,  and  which  was  common  to  all  his  predecessors  and  successors,  as 
Pharaoh  to  the  kings  of  Egypt,  or  Arsaces  to  those  of  Parthia.  This  name 
was  usually  a  patronymic,  exi^ressive  of  liis  descent  from  the  founder  of 
the  family.  Besides  this  title,  Miiich  belonged  to  his  office  and  dignity,  the 
chieftain  had  usually  another  pecnliar  to  himself,  which  distinguished  him 
from  the  chieftains  of  the  same  race.  This  was  sometimes  derived  from 
complexion,  as  dhu  or  roij  ;  sometimes  from  size,  as  ber/  or  tnore  ;  at  other 
times,  from  some  peculiar  exploit,  or  from  some  peculiarity  of  habit  or 
appearance.  The  line  of  the  text  therefore  signifies  Black  Roderick,  the 
descendant  of  Alpine.    Scott. 


CANTO    II. 


THE    ISLAND.  ^5 


410 


Ours  is  no  sapling,  chance-sown  by  the  fountain. 

Blooming  at  Beltane,  in  \Yinter  to  fade ; 
When  the  whirlwind  has  stripped  every  leaf  on  the 
mountain, 
The  more  shall  Clan  Alpine  exult  in  her  shade. 
Moored  in  the  rifted  rock, 
Proof  to  the  tempest's  shock, 
Firmer  he  roots  him  the  ruder  it  blow  ;  4i5 

Menteith  and  Breadalbane,  then, 
Echo  his  praise  again, 
''  Roderigh  Vich  Alpine  dhu,  ho  !  ieroe  ! " 


XX. 


420 


Proudly  our  pibroch  has  thrilled  in  Glen  Fruin, 

And  Bannochar's  groans  to  our  slogan  replied ; 
Glen  Luss  and  Ross-dhu,  they  are  smoking  in  ruin, 
And  the  best  of  Loch  Lomond  lie  dead  on  her  side. 
Widow  and  Saxon  maid 
Long  shall  lament  our  raid. 
Think  of  Clan-Alpine  with  fear  and  with  woe  ;         -i^o 
Lennox  and  Leven-glen 
Shake  when  they  hear  again, 
''  Roderigh  Vich  Alpine  dhu,  ho  !  ieroe  !  " 

413.  Rifted.     Split.  ,     .  r     u  t  i 

m    Menteith  and  Breadalbane.    Districts  north  of  Loch  Lomoud 
419^21.  Glen  Fmin.  Bannochar.  Glen  Luss.  Eoss-dhu.  Leven-glen. 
Valleys  on  the  borders  of  Loch  Lomond. 

420.  Slogan.    Highland  war-cry.  i-  ,^;,t 

490  And  the  best  of  Loch  Lomond,  etc.  The  Lennox,  as  the  district 
is  cllled.  which  encircles  the  lower  extremity  of  Loch  Lo"^«";^'  JJ^^ 
peculiarly  exposed  to  the  incursions  of  the  mountaineei-s,  who  inhabited 
the  inaccessible  fastnesses  at  the  upper  end  of  the  lake  and  the  neighboring 
district  of  Loch  Katrine.  These  were  often  marked  by  circumstances  of 
great  ferocity.    Scott. 


56  THE   LADY   OF   THE    LAKE.  canto  ii. 

Row,  vassals,  row,  for  the  pride  of  the  Highlands ! 

Stretch  to  your  oars  for  the  ever-green  Pine !  430 

O  that  the  rosebud  that  graces  yon  islands 

Were  wreathed  in  a  garland  around  him  to  twine  I 

O  that  some  seedling  gem, 

Worthy  such  noble  stem. 
Honored  and  blessed  in  their  shadow  might  groAV !  435 

Loud  should  Clan-Alpine  then 

Ring  from  her  deepmost  glen, 
"  Roderigh  Yich  Alpine  dhu,  ho  !  ieroe  !  " 

XXI. 

With  all  her  joyful  female  band 

Had  Lady  Margaret  sought  the  strand.  440 

Loose  on  the  breeze  their  tresses  flew, 

And  high  their  snowy  arms  they  threw, 

As  echoing  back  with  shrill  acclaim, 

And  chorus  wild,  the  Chieftain's  name , 

While,  prompt  to  please,  with  mother's  art,       445 

The  darling  passion  of  his  heart. 

The  dame  called  Ellen  to  the  strand, 

To  greet  her  kinsman  ere  he  land : 

"  Come,  loiterer,  come  I  a  Douglas  thou. 

And  shun  to  wreathe  a  victor's  brow  ?  "  450 

Reluctantly  and  slow,  the  maid 

The  unwelcome  summoning  obeyed. 

And  when  a  distant  bugle  rung. 

In  the  mid-path  aside  she  sprung :  — 

"  List,  Allan-bane  !     From  mainland  cast  455 

I  hear  my  father's  signal  blast. 

Be  ours,"  she  cried,  "  the  skiff  to  guide. 

And  waft  him  from  the  mountain-side." 


CANTO  H.  THE    ISLAND.  57 

Then,  like  a  sunbeam,  swift  and  bright. 

She  darted  to  her  shallop  light,  4»30 

And,  eagerly  while  Roderick  scanned, 

For  her  dear  form,  his  mother's  band. 

The  islet  far  behind  her  \^j, 

And  she  had  landed  in  the  bay. 

XXII. 

Some  feelings  are  to  mortals  given  465 

With  less  of  earth  in  them  than  heaven ; 

And  if  there  be  a  human  tear 

From  passion's  dross  refined  and  clear, 

A  tear  so  limpid  and  so  meek 

It  would  not  stain  an  angel's  cheek,  470 

'Tis  that  which  pious  fathers  shed 

Upon  a  duteous  daughter's  head ! 

And  as  the  Douglas  to  his  breast 

His  darling  Ellen  closely  pressed, 

Such  holy  drops  her  tresses  steeped,  475 

Though  'twas  an  hero's  eye  that  weeped. 

Nor  while  on  Ellen's  faltering  tongue 

Her  filial  welcomes  crowded  hung, 

Marked  she  that  fear  —  affection's  proof— 

Still  held  a  graceful  youth  aloof:  480 

No  !  not  till  Douglas  named  his  name. 

Although  the  youth  was  Malcolm  Graeme. 

xxiii. 

Allan,  with  wistful  look  the  while. 
Marked  Roderick  landing  on  the  isle ; 

469.  Limpid.     Clear,  transparent. 


3S  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  ii. 

His  master  piteously  he  eyed,  485 

Then  gazed  upon  the  Chieftain's  pride. 

Then  dashed  with  hasty  hand  away 

From  his  dimmed  eye  the  gathering  spray ; 

And  Douglas,  as  his  hand  he  laid 

On  Malcolm's  shoulder,  kindly  said :  4i»o 

''  Canst  thou,  young  friend,  no  meaning  spy 

In  my  poor  follower's  glistening  eye  ? 

I'll  tell  thee  :  — he  recalls  the  day 

When  in  my  praise  he  led  the  lay 

O'er  the  arched  gate  of  Bothwell  proud,  4i)5 

While  many  a  minstrel  answered  loud. 

When  Percy's  Norman  pennon,  won 

In  bloody  field,  before  me  shone. 

And  twice  ten  knights,  the  least  a  name 

As  mighty  as  yon  Chief  may  claim,  500 

Gracing  my  pomp,  behind  me  came. 

Yet  trust  me,  Malcolm,  not  so  proud 

Was  I  of  all  that  marshalled  crowd, 

Though  the  waned  crescent  owned  my  might. 

And  in  ray  train  trooped  lord  and  knight,         505 

Though  Blantyre  hymned  her  holiest  lays, 

And  Bothwell's  bards  flung  back  my  praise. 

As  w^hen  this  old  man's  silent  tear, 

And  this  poor  maid's  affection  dear, 

A  welcome  give  more  kind  and  true  oio 

Than  aught  my  better  fortunes  knew. 

497.  Percy's  Norman  pennon  was  captured  by  the  Douglas. 

501.  Pomp.  Parade.  — 504.  Waned  crescent.  Sir  Walter  Scott  of 
Buccleucb,  whose  shield  bore  a  crescent  moon,  had  eudeavored  to  set  the 
king  free  from  the  Douglases,  but  had  been  defeated  by  them.  His  failure 
is  hence  called  the  waning  of  the  crescent.    Yonge. 

50G.   Blantyre.     An  old  priory  or  abbey  opposite  Bothwell  Castle. 


CANTO  II.  THE    ISLAND.  59 

Forgive,  my  friend,  a  father's  boast,  — 
O,  it  out-beggars  all  I  lost ! " 

^ "  XXIV. 

Delightful  praiae  !  —  like  summer  rose, 

That  brighter  in  the  dew-drop  glows,  515 

The  bashful  maiden's  cheek  appeared. 

For  Douglas  spoke,  and  Malcolm  heard. 

The  flush  of  shame-faced  joy  to  hide. 

The  hounds,  the  hawk,  her  cares  divide ; 

The  loved  caresses  of  the  maid  520 

The  dogs  with  crouch  and  whimper  paid ; 

And,  at  her  whistle,  on  her  hand 

The  falcon  took  his  favorite  stand, 

Closed  his  dark  wing,  relaxed  his  eye. 

Nor,  though  unhooded,  sought  to  fly.  525 

And,  trust,  while  in  such  guise  she  stood, 

Ljke  fabled  Goddess  of  the  wood, 

That  if  a  father's  partial  thought 

O'erweighed  her  worth  and  beauty  aught. 

Well  might  the  lover's  judgment  fail  sau 

To  balance  with  a  juster  scale  ; 

For  with  each  secret  glance  he  stole, 

The  fond  enthusiast  sent  his  soul. 

XXV. 

Of  stature  fair,  and  slender  frame. 

But  firmly  knit,  was  Malcolm  Graeme.  535 

525.  Unhooded.  It  was  very  unusual  for  the  falcou  to  rest  quietly 
unhooded.  He  was  kept  with  his  head  covered,  and  when  the  hood  was 
removed  he  took  flight  at  once  in  search  of  prey.  —  52ti.  Guise.   Dress,  garb, 

527.  Fabled  Goddess.    Goddess  of  the  wood,  Diana. 

529.  Aught.     In  any  respect. 


^^^-i#^^r^ 


go  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE.       canto  ii. 

The  belted  plaid  and  tartan  hose 

Did  ne'er  more  graceful  limbs  disclose ; 

His  flaxen  hair,  of  sunny  hue, 

Curled  closely  round  his  bonnet  blue. 

Trained  to  the  chase,  his  eagle  eye  540 

The  ptarmigan  in  snow  could  spy ; 

Each  pass,  by  mountain,  lake,  and  heath. 

He  knew,  through  Lennox  and  Menteith ; 

Vain  was  the  bound  of  dark-brown  doe 

When  Malcolm  bent  his  sounding  bow,  545 

And  scarce  that  doe,  though  winged  with  fear. 

Outstripped  in  speed  the  mountaineer : 

Right  up  Ben  Lomond  could  he  press, 

And  not  a  sob  his  toil  confess. 

His  form  accorded  with  a  mind  550 

Lively  and  ardent,  frank  and  kind ; 

A  blither  heart,  till  Ellen  came, 

Did  never  love  nor  sorrow  tame ; 

It  danced  as  lightsome  in  his  breast 

As  pla^^ed  the  feather  on  his  crest.  555 

Yet  friends,  who  nearest  knew  the  youth, 

His  scorn  of  wrong,  his  zeal  for  truth, 

And  bards,  who  saw  his  features  bold 

When  kindled  by  the  tales  of  old, 

Said,  were  that  youth  to  manhood  grown,         560 

Not  long  should  Roderick  Dhu's  renown 

Be  foremost  voiced  by  mountain  fame. 

But  quail  to  that  of  Malcolm  Grseme. 

563.   QuaiL    Cower. 


•v-rV'. 


^^'''^^  "■  THE   ISLAND. 


XXVI. 


61 


Now  back  they  wend  their  watery  way, 

And,  "  O  my  sire  !  "  did  Ellen  say, 

''  Why  urge  thy  chase  so  far  astray  ? 

And  why  so  late  returned  ?     And  why  "  — 

The  rest  was  in  her  speaking  eye. 

'^' My  child,  the  chase  I  follow  far, 

'Tis  mimicry  of  noble  war ; 

And  with  that  gallant  pastime  reft 

Were  all  of  Douglas  I  have  left. 

I  met  young  Malcolm  as  I  strayed 

Far  eastward,  in  Glenfinlas'  shade ; 

Nor  strayed  I  safe,  for  all  around 

Hunters  and  horsemen  scoured  the  ground. 

This  youth,  though  still  a  royal  ward, 

Risked  life  and  land  to  be  my  guard,' 

And  through  the  passes  of  the  wood  ' 

Guided  my  steps,  not  unpursued  ; 

And  Roderick  shall  his  welcome  make. 

Despite  old  spleen,  for  Douglas'  sake.  ' 

Then  must  he  seek  Strath-Endrick  glen, 

Nor  peril  aught  for  me  again." 

XXVII. 

Sir  Roderick,  who  to  meet  them  came, 
Reddened  at  sight  of  Malcolm  Grseme, 


565 


570 


575 


580 


585 


570.  Mimicry.     Imitation. -571.   Reft.     Taken  away. 
574.   Glenfinlas.     A  wooded  valley,     j 
577.   Royal  ward.    Under  the  protection  of  the  king 
SV   ^r^i'%°^^  '^^''^-     ^^^^t^vithstanding  old  quarrels. 
LochUo'd  ■^''"^'  ''^"     ^  ^^"^^  '''''''  'y  Strath-Endrick  into 


62  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.       .  canto  ii. 

Yet,  not  in  action,  word,  or  eye, 

Failed  aught  in  hospitality.    j.^&P' 

In  talk  and  sport  they  whiled  away 

The  morning  of  that  summer  day  ;  590 

But  at  high  noon  a  courier  light 

Held  secret  parley  with  the  knight, 

Whose  moody  aspect  soon  declared 

That  evil  were  the  news  he  heard.    — 

Deep  thought  seemed  toiling  in  his  head ;  595 

Yet  was  the  evening  banquet  made 

Ere  he  assembled  round  the  flame    r-yy'AiipyAj-^V-*^ 

His  mother,  Douglas,  and  the  Graeme,  n 

And  Ellen  too  :  then  cast  around 

His  eyes,  then  fixed  them  on  the  ground,  600 

As  studying  phrase  that  might  avail 

Best  to  convey  unpleasant  tale. 

Long  with  his  dagger's  hilt  he  played, 

Then  raised  his  haughty  brow,  and  said :  — 


605 


XXVIII. 

"  Short  be  my  speech  ;  —  nor  time  affords, 

Nor  my  plain  temper,  glozing  words. 

Kinsman  and  father,  —  if  such  name 

Douglas  vouchsafe  to  Roderick's  claim ; 

Mine  honored  mother ;  —  Ellen,  —  why. 

My  cousin,  turn  away  thine  eye  ?  —  6io 

And  Graeme,  in  whom  I  hope  to  know 

Full  soon  a  noble  friend  or  foe, 

When  age  shall  give  thee  thy  command, 

And  leading  in  thy  native  land,  — 

591.  Courier.     Messenger  sent  with  haste. —592._ Parley.     Conference. 
606.   Glozing.     Fair,   smooth,  or  flattering. 


CANTO  II.  THE    ISLAND.  63 

List  all!  —  The  King's  vindictive  pride  615 

Boasts  to  have  tamed  the  Border-side, 

Where  chiefs,  with  hound  and  hawk  who  came 

To  share  their  monarch's  sylvan  game, 

Themselves  in  bloody  toils  were  snared. 

And  when  the  banquet  they  prejDared,  «2f) 

And  wide  their  loyal  portals  flung. 

O'er  their  own  gateway  struggling  hung. 

Loud  cries  their  blood  from  Meggat's  mead. 

From  Yarrow  braes  and  banks  of  Tweed, 

Where  the  lone  streams  of  Ettrick  glide,  625 

And  from  the  silver  Teviot's  side ; 

The  dales,  where  martial  clans  did  ride. 

Are  now  one  sheep-w^alk,  waste  and  wide. 

This  tyrant  of  the  Scottish  throne. 

So  faithless  and  so  ruthless  known,  630 

Now  hither  comes  ;  his  end  the  same. 

The  same  pretext  of  sylvan  game. 

What  grace  for  Highland  Chiefs,  judge  ye 

B}'  fate  of  Border  chivalry. 

Yet  more  ;  amid  Glenfinlas'  green,  635 

Douglas,  thy  stately  form  was  seen. 

This  by  espial  sure  I  know : 

Your  counsel  in  the  streight  I  show." 

616.  Tamed  the  Border-side.  James  V.  strove  to  put  down  the  law- 
lessness of  the  Border  chiefs,  who  were  almost  licensed  robbers.  He 
made  a  progress,  dealing  stern  justice,  and  taking  several  by  surprise,  in 
especial  one  Johnnie  Armstrony  who  came  out  to  welcome  him.  but  was 
seized  and  put  to  death.     Yonge.— 021.   Portals.     Doors  or  gates. 

023.  Meggat,  Yarrow,  Ettrick,  and  Teviot.  Streams  flowing  into  the 
Tweed.  — O'il.   Braes.      Shelving  or  hilly  ground.  .  _^ 

630.   Ruthless.     Pitiless. 

032.  Pretext.  A  false  motive  given  for  the  real  one.— 037.  Espial.  Ob- 
servation.—038.   Streight  t)r  strait.     Difficulty  or  emergency. 


64  THP:    lady   of   the    lake.  canto  II. 

XXIX. 

Ellen  and  Margaret  fearfully 

Souo-ht  comfort  in  each  other's  eye,  641 

Then  turned  their  ghastly  look,  each  one, 

This  to  her  sire,  that  to  her  son. 

The  hasty  color  went  and  came 

In  the  bold  cheek  of  Malcolm  Graeme, 

But  from  his  glance  it  well  appeared  645 

'Twas  but  for  Ellen  that  he  feared ; 

While,  sorrowful,  but  undismayed, 

The  Douglas  thus  his  counsel  said : 

"  Brave  Roderick,  though  the  tempest  roar. 

It  may  but  thunder  and  pass  o'er ;  (jsf 

Nor  will  I  here  remain  an  hour. 

To  draw  the  lightning  on  thy  bower ; 

For  well  thou  know'st,  at  this  gray  head 

The  royal  bolt  were  fiercest  sped. 

For  thee,  who,  at  thy  King's  command,  655 

Canst  aid  him  with  a  gallant  band. 

Submission,  homage,  humbled  pride, 

Shall  turn  the  Monarch's  wrath  aside. 

Poor  remnants  of  the  Bleeding  Heart, 

Ellen  and  I  will  seek  apart  66# 

The  refuge  of  some  forest  cell. 

There,  like  the  hunted  quarry,  dwell. 

Till  on  the  mountain  and  the  moor  '■ 

The  stern  pursuit  be  passed  and  o'er." — 


— ^Itx. 

"  No,  by  mine  honor,"  Roderick  said,  665 

"  So  help  me  Heaven,  and  my  good  blade  I 
No,  never  !     Blasted  be  yon  Pine, 


<  ANTO  II.  THE   ISLAND.  65 

My  father's  ancient  crest  and  mine, 

If  from  its  shade  in  danger  part 

The  lineage  of  the  Bleeding  Heart !  67« 

Hear  my  blunt  speech :  grant  me  this  maid 

To  wife,  thy  counsel  to  mine  aid ; 

To  Douglas,  leagued  with  Roderick  Dhu, 

Will  friends  and  allies  flock  enow ; 

Like  cause  of  doubt,  distrust,  and  grief,  675 

Will  bind  to  us  each  Western  Chief. 

When  the  loud  pipes  my  bridal  tell, 

The  Links  of  Fofth  shall  hear  the  knell. 

The  guards  shall  start  in  Stirling's  porch ; 

And  when  I  light  the  nuptial  torch,  68© 

A  thousand  villages  in  flames 

Shall  scare  the  slumbers  of  King  James !  — 

Nay,  Ellen,  blench  not  thus  away. 

And,  mother,  cease  these  signs,  I  pray ; 

I  meant  not  all  my  heat  might  say.  —  685 

Small  need  of  inroad  or  of  fight. 

When  the  sage  Douglas  may  unite 

Each  mountain  clan  in  friendly  band, 

To  guard  the  passes  of  their  land. 

Till  the  foiled  King  from  pathless  glen  69« 

Shall  bootless  turn  him  home  ag-ain." 

670  Lineage  of  the  Bleeding  Heart.  Descendants  of  the  Douglas 
family.     Cf.  note,  line  2(X). 

674  Allies.  States  or  people  united  for  a  common  object,  associates, 
confederates.  —  Enow.     Enough. 

678.  Links  of  Forth.     Windings  of  the  River  Forth. 

679.  Stirling's  porch.     Stirling  Castle  was  long  the  residence  of  the 
Scottish  kings. 

680.  Nuptial  torch.  Marriage  torch.— 68.S.  Blench.  To  draw  back  or 
shrink  from. 

6<)0.  Foiled.    Defeated. —691.   Bootless.     Unsuccessful. 


QQ  THE   LADY    OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  n. 

XXXI. 

There  are  who  have,  at  midnight  hour, 
In  slumber  scaled  a  dizzy  tower, 
And,  on  the  verge  that  beetled  o'er 
The  ocean  tide's  incessant  roar,  fi95 

Dreamed  cahnly  out  their  dangerous  dream. 
Till  wakened  by  the  morning  beam ; 
When,  dazzled  by  the  eastern  glow, 
Such  startler  cast  his  glance  below. 
And  saw  unmeasured  depth  around,  too 

And  heard  unintermitted  sound, 
\         And  thought  the  battled  fence  so  frail, 
It  waved  like  cobweb  in  the  gale ;  — 
Amid  his  senses'  giddy  wheel, 
Did  he  not  desperate  impulse  feel,  705 

Headlong  to  plunge  himself  below, 
And  meet  the  worst  his  fears  foreshow  ?  — 
Thus  Ellen,  dizzy  and  astound, 
As  sudden  ruin  yawned  around. 
By  crossing  terrors  wildly  tossed,  7io 

Still  for  the  Douglas  fearing  most. 
Could  scarce  the  desperate  thought  withstand,     , 
To  buy  his  safety  with  her  hand. 

XXXII. 

Such  purpose  dread  could  Malcolm  spy 

In  Ellen's  quivering  lip  and  eye,  715 

693.  Scaled.  Clambered  up.— 694.  Verge.  Brink,  edge.  —  Beetled. 
Hung,  extended. 

695.  Incessant.     Unceasing,  continual. 

702.  Battled  fence.  A  defensive  wall  with  openings  from  which  to 
discharge  missiles.— 708.   Astound.  Astounded. 


<^ANTo  II.  THE    ISLAND.  Q'j 

And  eager  rose  to  speak,  —  l)iit  ere 

His  tongue  could  hurry  forth  his  fear. 

Had  Douglas  marked  the  hectic  strife. 

Where  death  seemed  combating  with  life  ; 

For  to  her  cheek,  in  feverish  flood,  720 

One  instant  rushed  the  throbbing  blood, 

Then  ebbing  back,  witli  sudden  sway, 

Left  its  domain  as  wan  as  clay. 

''  Roderick,  enough  !   enough  !  "  he  cried, 

"  My  daughter  cannot  be  thy  bride  ;  725 

Not  that  the  blush  to  wooer  dear. 

Nor  paleness  that  of  maiden  fear. 

It  may  not  be,  —  forgive  her.  Chief, 

Nor  hazard  aught  for  our  relief. 

Against  his  sovereign,  Douglas  ne'er  730 

Will  level  a  rebellious  spear. 

'Twas  I  that  taught  his  youthful  hand 

To  rein  a  steed  and  wield  a  brand ; 

I  see  him  yet,  the  princely  boy ! 

Not  Ellen  more  my  pride  and  joy ;  730 

I  love  him  still,  despite  my  wrongs 

By  hasty  wrath  and  slanderous  tongues. 

O,  seek  the  grace  you  well  may  find. 

Without  a  cause  to  mine  combined !  " 

^^  XXXIII. 

Twice  through  the  hall  the  Chieftain  strode  ;    740 
The  waving  of  his  tartans  broad. 
And  darkened  brow,  where  wounded  pride 
With  ire  and  disappointment  vied, 

71!».  Com'bating.  Struggling,  contending. —723.   Domain.     Her  cheek 
Wan.     Pale,  colorless.— 743.  Vied.     Contended. 


(5{^  THE    LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  n. 

Seemed,  by  the  torch's  gloomy  light, 

Like  the  ill  Demon  of  the  night,  745 

Stooping  his  pinions'  shadowy  sway 

Upon  the  nighted  pilgrim's  way : 

But,  unrequited  Love  !  thy  dart 

Plunged  deepest  its  envenomed  smart, 

And  Roderick,  with  thine  anguish  stung,  '750 

At  length  the  hand  of  Douglas  wrung, 

While  eyes  that  mocked  at  tears  before 

With  bitter  drops  were  running  o'er. 

The  death-pangs  of  long-cherished  hope 

Scarce  in  that  ample  breast  had  scope,  755 

But,  struggling  with  his  spirit  proud. 

Convulsive  heaved  its  checkered  shroud. 

While  every  sob  —  so  mute  were  all  — 

Was  heard  distinctly  through  the  hall. 

The  son's  despair,  the  mother's  look,  760 

111  might  the  gentle  Ellen  brook ; 

She  rose,  and  to  her  side  there  came. 

To  aid  her  parting  steps,  the  Graeme. 

XXXIV. 

Then  Roderick  from  the  Douglas  broke  — 

As  flashes  flame  through  sable  smoke,  7()5 

Kindling  its  wreaths,  long,  dark,  and  low. 

To  one  broad  blaze  of  ruddy  glow. 

So  the  deep  anguish  of  despair 

Burst,  in  fierce  jealousy,  to  air. 

With  stalwart  grasp  liis  hand  he  laid  770 

On  Malcolm's  breast  and  belted  plaid : 

747.   Nighted.     Benighted.  —  749.   Envenomed.     Poisoned. 
757.   Checkered  shroud.     Tartan  plaid.— 761.   Brook.     Endure. 


CAXTo  II.  TIIK    ISLAND.  69 

^'  Back,  beardless  boy  !  "  he  sternly  said, 

"  Back,  minion  !  lioldst  thou  thus  at  naught 

The  lesson  I  so  lately  taught? 

This  roof,  the  Douglas,  and  that  maid,  775 

Thank  thou  for  punishment  delayed."' 

Eager  as  greyhound  on  his  game. 

Fiercely  with  Roderick  grappled  Grreme. 

"  Perish  my  name,  if  aught  afford 

Its  Chieftain  safety  save  his  sword  !  *'  780 

Thus  as  they  strove  their  desperate  hand 

Griped  to  the  dagger  or  the  brand, 

And  death  had  been  —  but  Douglas  rose, 

And  thrust  between  the  struggling  foes 

His  giant  strength :  —  ^'  Chieftains,  forego  !       785 

I  hold  the  first  who  strikes  my  foe.  — 

Madmen,  forbear  your  frantic  jar ! 

What !  is  the  Douglas  fallen  so  far. 

His  daughter's  hand  is  deemed  the  spoil 

Of  such  dishonorable  broil  ?  "  790 

Sullen  and  slowly  they  unclasp, 

As  struck  with  shame,  their  desperate  grasp. 

And  each  upon  his  rival  glared, 

With  foot  advanced  and  blade  half  bared. 


XXXV. 

Ere  yet  the  brands  aloft  were  flung,  795 

Margaret  on  Roderick's  mantle  hung, 

And  Malcolm  heard  his  Ellen's  scream. 

As  faltered  through  terrific  dream. 

Then  Roderick  plunged  in  sheath  his  sword. 

And  veiled  his  wnith  in  scornful  word:  800 


70  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  ii. 

"  Rest  safe  till  morning ;  pity  'twere 

Such  cheek  should  feel  the  midnight  air ! 

Then  mayst  thou  to  James  Stuart  tell, 

Roderick  will  keep  the  lake  and  fell, 

Nor  lackey  with  his  freeborn  clan  805 

The  pageant  pomp  of  earthly  man. 

More  would  he  of  Clan-Alpine  know, 

Thou  canst  our  strength  and  passes  show.  — 

Malise,  what  ho  !  "  —  his  henchman  came  : 

''  Give  our  safe-conduct  to  the  Graeme."  sio 

Young  Malcolm  answered,  calm  and  bold : 

"  Fear  nothing  for  thy  favorite  hold ; 

The  spot  an  angel  deigned  to  grace 

Is  blessed,  though  robbers  haunt  the  place. 

Thy  churlish  courtesy  for  those  8i5 

Reserve,  who  fear  to  be  thy  foes. 

As  safe  to  me  the  mountain  way 

At  midnight  as  in  blaze  of  day, 

Though  with  his  boldest  at  his  back 

Even  Roderick  Dhu  beset  the  track.  —  820 

Brave  Douglas,  —  lovely  Ellen,  —  nay, 

Naught  here  of  parting  will  I  say. 

Earth  does  not  hold  a  lonesome  glen 

So  secret  but  we  meet  again.  — 

802.  Such  cheek  should  feel  the  midnight  air.  Hardihood  was  in 
every  respect  so  essential  to  the  character  of  a  Highlander,  that  the 
reproach  of  effeminacy  was  the  most  hitter  which  could  be  thrown  upon 
him.  Scott.  —  804.  Fell.  A  mountain. — 805.  Lackey.  To  serve  as  foot- 
man or  wait  upon. —806.  Pageant  pomp.     Sliowy  display. 

809.  Henchman.  This  officer  is  a  sort  of  secretary,  and  is  to  be  ready, 
upon  all  occasions,  to  venture  his  life  in  defence  of  his  master;  and  at 
drinking-bouts  he  stands  behind  his  seat,  at  his  haunch,  from  which  his 
title  is  derived,  and  watches  the  conversation,  to  see  if  any  one  offends  his 
patron.    Scott. 


CANTO    11. 


■      THE    ISLAND.  71 

Chieftain  !  we  too  sliall  find  an  hour." —  825 

He  said,  and  left  the  sylvan  bower. 

XXXVI. 

Old  Allan  followed  to  the  strand  — 

Such  was  the  Douglas's  command  — 

And  anxious  told,  how,  on  the  morn. 

The  stern  Sir  Roderick  deep  had  sworn,  h:30 

The  Fiery  Cross  should  circle  o'er 

Dale,  glen,  and  valley,  down  and  moor. 

Much  were  the  peril  to  the  Graeme 

From  those  who  to  the  signal  came ; 

Far  up  the  lake  'twere  safest  land,  8<J5 

Himself  would  row  him  to  the  strand. 

He  gave  his  counsel  to  the  wind. 

While  Malcolm  did,  unheeding,  bind. 

Round  dirk  and  pouch  and  broadsword  rolled, 

His  ample  plaid  in  tightened  fold,  «40 

And  stripped  his  limbs  to  such  array 

As  best  might  suit  the  watery  way,  — 

XXXVII. 

Then  spoke  abrupt :  "  Farewell  to  thee. 

Pattern  of  old  fidelity  !  " 

The  Minstrel's  hand  he  kindly  pressed,  —         «4o 

''  O,  could  I  point  a  place  of  rest ! 

My  sovereign  holds  in  ward  my  land, 

My  uncle  leads  my  vassal  band; 

832.   Down.     A   barren   tract   of   sand-hills  blown  up  by  the  wind.— 
Moor.     Waste  land. 

847.    My  sovereign  holds  in  ward  my  land.     Because  Malcolm  was 

not  of  age. 


72  THE    LADY   OF   THE   LA*KE.  canto  ii. 

To  tame  his  foes,  his  friends  to  aid, 

Poor  Malcolm  has  but  heart  and  blade.  850 

Yet,  if  there  be  one  faithful  Graeme 

Who  loves  the  chieftain  of  his  name, 

Not  long  shall  honored  Douglas  dwell 

Like  hunted  stag  in  mountain  cell ; 

Nor,  ere  yon  pride-swollen  robber  dare, —         ^^ 

I  may  not  give  the  rest  to  air ! 

Tell  Roderick  Dhu  I  owed  him  naught. 

Not  the  poor  service  of  a  boat. 

To  waft  me  to  yon  mountain-side." 

Then  plunged  he  in  the  flashing  tide.  860 

Bold  o'er  the  flood  his  head  he  bore, 

And  stoutly  steered  him  from  the  shore ; 

And  Allan  strained  his  anxious  eye. 

Far  mid  the  lake  his  form  to  spy. 

Darkening  across  each  puny  wave,  865 

To  which  the  moon  her  silver  gave. 

Fast  as  the  cormorant  could  skim, 

The  swimmer  plied  each  active  limb ; 

Then  landing  in  the  moonlight  dell. 

Loud  shouted  of  his  weal  to  tell.  870 

The  minstrel  heard  the  far  halloo. 

And  joyful  from  the  shore  withdrew. 

867.   Cormorant.     Sea-bird  resembling  a  crow. 

869.   Dell.     Ravine.  — 870.  Weal.     Welfare  or  safety. 


OUTLINE   OF   CANTO   THIRD. 


Canto  III.  is  almost  entirely  taken  up  with  the  gathering  by 
means  of  the  Fiery  Cross.  See  Note,  line  18.  The  cross  is  con- 
secrated, and  is  at  once  entrusted  to  Malise,  Roderick's  henchman. 
He  bears  it  eastward,  and  it  is  passed  on  from  one  hand  to  another, 
interrupting  wedding  and  funeral  alike,  till  the  clan  is  gathered  in 
Lanrick  mead. 

Roderick  meanwhile  has  been  reconnoitring,  but  finds  no  trace 
of  the  foes  whom  he  had  expected.  The  Douglas  and  his  daughter 
have  left  the  island,  in  order  not  to  imperil  their  host,  and  have 
taken  refuge  in  a  cavern  on  the  side  of  Benvenue,  which  the  super- 
stition of  the  age  "  debarred  to  vulgar  tread,"  and  thither  Roderick 
conies,  and,  hovering  over  the  treasure  he  has  lost,  hears  Ellen's 
voice  for  the  last  time,  and  then  hastens  to  join  his  men.  —  Taylor. 


I J 


THE   GATHERING. 


Time  rolls  his  ceaseless  course.     The  race  of  yore, 

Who  danced  our  infancy  upon  their  knee, 
And  told  our  marvelling  boyhood  legends  store 

Of  their  strange  ventures  happed  by  land  or  sea, 
How  they  are  blotted  from  the  things  that  be  !  5 

How  few,  all  weak  and  withered  of  their  force, 
Wait  on  the  verge  of  dark  eternity. 

Like  stranded  wrecks,  the  tide  returning  hoarse, 
To  sweep  them  from  our  sight !     Time  rolls  his  ceaseless 
course. 

Yet  live  there  still  who  can  remember  well,  lo 

How,  when  a  mountain  chief  his  bugle  blew, 
Both  field  and  forest,  dingle,  cliff,  and  dell. 

And  solitary  heath,  the  signal  knew ; 
And  fast  the  faithful  clan  around  him  drew. 

What  time  the  warning  note  was  keenly  wound,       is 
What  time  aloft  their  kindred  banner  flew. 

While  clamorous  war-pipes  yelled  the  gathering  sound, 
And  while  the  Fiery  Cross  glanced,  like  a  meteor,  round. 

3.  Legends.    Remarkable  stories  handed  down  from  former  times. 

4.  Ventures.    Undertakings  of  chance  or  danger. —  13.  Heath.     See 
note,  Canto  I.,  line  99.     Here,  the  lonely  place  where  the  heath  grows. 

18!  Fiery  Cross.    When  a  chieftain  designed  to  summon  his  clan,  upon 
any  sudden  or  important  emergency,  he  slew  a  goat,  and  making  a  cross  of 


CANTO    III. 


THE    GATHERING.  75 


11. 

The  Summer  dawn's  reflected  hue 

To  purple  changed  Loch  Katrine  blue  ;  20 

Mildly  and  soft  the  western  breeze 

Just  kissed  the  lake,  just  stirred  the  trees, 

And  the  pleased  lake,  like  maiden  coy, 

Trembled  but  dimpled  not  for  joy : 

The  mountain  shadows  on  her  breast  25 

Were  neither  broken  nor  at  rest ; 

In  bright  uncertainty  they  lie, 

Like  future  joys  to  Fancy's  eye. 

The  water-lily  to  the  light 

Her  chalice  reared  of  silver  bright ;  30 

The  doe  awoke,  and  to  the  lawn. 

Begemmed  with  dew-drops,  led  her  fawn ; 

The  gray  mist  left  the  mountain-side. 

The  torrent  showed  its  glistening  pride ; 

any  light  wood,  seared  its  extremities  in  the  fire,  and  extinguished  them  in 
the  blood  of  the  animal.  This  was  called  the  Fiery  Cross,  also  CrecDu 
Tarif/h,  or  the  Cross  of  Shame,  because  disobedience  to  what  the  symbol 
implied  inferred  infamy.  It  was  delivered  to  a  swift  and  trusty  messenger, 
who  ran  full  speed  with  it  to  the  next  hamlet,  where  he  presented  it  to  the 
principal  person,  with  a  single  word,  implying  the  place  of  rendezvous. 
He  who  received  the  symbol  was  bound  to  send  it  forward,  with  equal 
dispatch,  to  the  next  village;  and  thus  it  passed  with  incredible  celerity 
through  all  the  district  which  owed  allegiance  to  the  chief,  and  also  among 
his  allies  and  neighbors,  if  the  danger  was  common  to  them.  At  sight  of 
the  Fiery  Cross,  every  man,  from  sixteen  years  old  to  sixty,  capable  of 
bearing  arms,  was  obliged  instantly  to  repair,  in  his  best  arms  and  accoutre- 
ments, to  the  place  of  rendezvous.  He  who  failed  to  appear,  suffered  the 
extremities  of  fire  and  sword,  which  were  emblematically  denounced  to  the 
disobedient  by  the  bloody  and  burnt  marks  upon  this  warlike  signal. 
During  the  civil  war  of  1745-6,  the  Fiery  Cross  often  made  its  circuit;  and 
upon  one  occasion  it  passed  through  the  whole  district  of  Breadalbane,  a 
tract  of  thirty-two  miles,  in  three  hours.     Scott. 

23.   Coy.     Reserved,  shy. —30.   Chalice.     Cup  or  bowl. 


76  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE,      canto  hi. 

Invisible  in  flecked  sky  35 

The  lark  sent  down  her  revelry ; 

The  blackbird  and  the  speckled  thrush 

Good-morrow  gave  from  brake  and  bush; 

In  answer  cooed  the  cushat  dove 

Her  notes  of  peace  and  rest  and  love.  40 

III. 

No  thought  of  peace,  no  thought  of  rest, 

Assuaged  the  storm  in  Roderick's  breast. 

With  sheathed  broadsword  in  his  hand, 

Abrupt  he  paced  the  islet  strand, 

And  eyed  the  rising  sun,  and  laid  45 

His  hand  on  his  impatient  blade. 

Beneath  a  rock,  his  vassals'  care 

Was  prompt  the  ritual  to  prepare. 

With  deep  and  deatlif ul  meaning  fraught ; 

For  such  Antig^uity  had  taught  so 

Was  preface  Ineet,  ere  yet  abroad  "  ' 

The  Cross  of  Fire  should  take  its  road. 

The  shrinking  band  stood  oft  aghast 

At  the  impatient  glance  he  cast ;  — 

Such  glance  the  mountain  eagle  threw,  55 

As,  from  the  cliffs  of  Ben  venue. 

She  spread  her  dark  sails  on  the  wind, 

And,  high  in  middle  heaven  reclined, 

With  her  broad  shadow  on  the  lake. 

Silenced  the  warblers  of  the  brake.  tjo 

36.  Revelry.  iSloisy  festivity .— 39.  Cushat.   Ring-dove  or  wood  pigeon. 

48.   Ritual.     Performance  of  religious  service. 

50.  Antiquity.     Olden  times. 

53.   Aghast.     Struck  with  amazement. 


CANTO  III.  THE   GATHERING.  77 

^  IV. V- 

A  heap  of  withered  boughs  was  piled, 

Of  juniper  and  rowan  wild, 

Mingled  with  shl:vers  from  the  oak, 

Rent  by  the  lightning's  recent  stroke. 

Brian  the  Hermit  by  it  stood,  65 

Barefooted,  in  his  frock  and  hood. 

His  grizzled  beard  and  matted  hair 

Obscured  a  visage  of  despair ;        ^j 

His  naked  arms  and  legs,  seamed  o'er, 

The  scars  of  frantic  penance  bore.  70 

That  monk,  of  savage  form  and  face. 

The  impending  danger  of  his  race 

Had  drawn  from  deepest  solitude, 

Far  in  Benharrow's  bosom  rude. 

Not  his  the  mien  of  Christian  priest,  75 

But  Druid's,  from  the  grave  released. 

Whose  hardened  heart  and  eye  might  brook /^^'^^^ 

On  human  sacrifice  to  look  ; 

And  much,  'twas  said,  of  heathen  lore 

Mixed  in  the  charms  he  muttered  o'er.  so 


62.  Rowan.    European  mountain-ash. 

70.  Penance.  Suffering  or  labor  self-inflicted  or  imposed  by  ecclesias- 
tical authority  as  a  punishment  for  faults. 

71.  That  monk,  etc.  The  state  of  religion  in  the  middle  ages  afforded 
considerable  facilities  for  those  whose  mode  of  life  excluded  them  from 
regular  worship,  to  secure,  nevertheless,  the  ghostly  assistance  of  con- 
fessors, perfectly  willing  to  adapt  the  nature  of  their  doctrine  to  the 
necessities  and  peculiar  circumstances  of  their  flock.  Robin  Hood,  it  is 
well-known,  had  his  celebrated  domestic  chaplain.  Friar  Tuck.     Scott. 

74.   Benharrow.   A  mountain  near  Loch  Lomond. 

76.  Druid.  A  priest  of  the  Celtic  inhabitants  of  Gaul  and  Britain. 
They  worshipped  in  groves,  and  made  human  sacrifices. 


* 


78  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  hi. 

r 

The  hallowed  creed  gave  only  worse 

And  deadlier  emphasis  of  curse. 

No  peasant  sought  that  Hermit's  prayer, 

His  cave  the  pilgrim  shunned  with  care ; 

The  eager  huntsman  knew  his  bound,  85 

And  in  mid  chase  called  off  his  hound ; 

Or  if,  in  lonely  glen  or  strath, 

The  desert-dweller  met  his  path. 

He  prayed,  and  signed  the  cross  between. 

While  terror  took  devotion's  mien.  90 

V. 

Of  Brian's  birth  strange  tales  were  told. 

His  mother  watched  a  midnight  fold. 

Built  deep  within  a  dreary  glen. 

Where  scattered  lay  the  bones  of  men 

In  some  forgotten  battle  slain,  95 

And  bleached  by  drifting  wind  and  rain. 

It  might  have  tamed  a  warrior's  heart 

To  view  such  mockery  of  his  art ! 

The  knot-grass  fettered  there  the  hand 

Which  once  could  burst  an  iron  band ;  .     loo 

Beneath  the  broad  and  ample  bone. 

That  bucklered  heart  to  fear  unknown, 

A  feeble  and  a  timorous  guest. 

The  fieldfare  framed  her  lowly  nest ; 

81.  Hallowed  creed.  The  hallowed  or  Christian  creed  as  distinguished 
from  heathen  lore  or  knowledge. 

87.  Glen.  A  narrow  valley  through  which  a  small  stream  usually 
flows.  —  Strath.     A  valley  of  considerable  size  through  which  a  river  runs. 

92.  Fold.  An  inclosure  for  animals. — 99.  Knot-grass.  Twitch-grass, 
a  kind  of  grass  that  is  difficult  to  exterminate.  — 102.  Bucklered.  Pro- 
tected by  a  shield.  — 104.   Fieldfare.     A  kind  of  thrush. 


CANTO ^.  THE   GATHERING.  79 

There  the  slow  blindworm  left  his  slime  lOo 

On  the  fleet  limbs  that  mocked  at  time ; 

And  there,  too,  lay  the  leader's  skull. 

Still  wreathed  with  chaplet,  flushed  and  full, 

For  heath-bell  with  her  purple  bloom 

Supplied  the  bonnet  and  the  plume.  no 

All  night,  in  this  sad  glen,  the  maid 

Sat  shrouded  in  her  mantle's  shade  : 

She  said  no  shepherd  sought  her  side, 

No  hunter's  hand  her  snood  untied, 

Yet  ne'er  again  to  braid  her  hair  115 

The  virgin  snood  did  Alice  wear ; 

Gone  was  her  maiden  glee  and  sport. 

Her  maiden  girdle  all  too  short. 

Nor  sought  she,  from  that  fatal  night, 

Or  holy  church  or  blessed  rite,  120 

But  locked  her  secret  in  her  breast. 

And  died  in  travail,  unconfessed. 

VI. 

Alone,  among  his  young  compeers, 

Was  Brian  from  his  infant  years ; 

A  moody  and  heart-broken  boy,  125 

Estranged  from  sympathy  and  joy. 

Bearing  each  taunt  which  careless  tongue 

On  his  mysterious  lineage  flung. 

"Whole  nights  he  spent  by  moonlight  pale, 

To  wood  and  stream  his  hap  to  wail,  130 

116.  Snood.  The  snood,  or  riband,  with  which  a  Scottish  lass  braided 
her  hair,  had  an  emblematical  signification,  and  applied  to  her  maiden 
character.  It  was  exchanged  for  the  curch,  toy,  or  coif,  when  she  passed, 
by  marriage,  into  the  matron  state.  Scott. — 123.  Compeers.  Compan- 
ions.— 125.  Moody.     Sad. — 12().   Estranged.    Withheld,  alienated. 

128.  Mysterious  lineage.     Unknown  parentage. 


80  THE   LADY   OF  THE   LAKE.  canto  hi. 

Till,  frantic,  he  as  truth  received 

What  of  his  birth  the  crowd  believed, 

And  sought,  in  mist  and  meteor  fire, 

To  meet  and  know  his  Phantom  Sire ! 

In  vain,  to  soothe  his  wayward  fate,  135 

The  cloister  oped  her  pitying  gate ; 

In  vain  the  learning  of  the  age 

Unclasped  the  sable-lettered  page ; 

Even  in  its  treasures  he  could  find 

Food  for  the  fever  of  his  mind.  140 

Eager  he  read  whatever  tells 

Of  magic,  cabala,  and  spells, 

And  every  dark  pursuit  allied 

To  curious  and  presumptuous  pride ; 

Till  with  fired  brain  and  nerves  o'erstrung,       145 

And  heart  with  mystic  horrors  wrung, 

Desperate  he  sought  Benharrow's  den. 

And  hid  him  from  the  haunts  of  men. 

VII. 

The  desert  gave  him  visions  wild, 

Such  as  might  suit  the  spectre's  child.  150 

Where  with  black  cliffs  the  torrents  toil. 

He  watched  the  wheeling  eddies  boil, 

Till  from  their  foam  his  dazzled  eyes 

Beheld  the  River  Demon  rise : 

133.  Meteor  fire.     Fiery  appearance  in  the  sky;  a  shooting  star. 

138.  Sable-lettered  page.  Black  lettered,  so  called  because  of  the 
heavy-faced  type  used  in  early  prints. 

142.  Magic,  cabala,  spells.    Enchantment,  mystery,  charms. 

154.  Kiver  Demon.  The  River  Demon,  or  River-horse,  for  it  is  that 
form  which  he  commonly  assumes,  is  the  Kelpy  of  the  Lowlands,  an  evil 
and  malicious  spirit,  delighting  to  forebode  and  to  witness  calamity.  Scott. 


CANTO  III.  THE   GATHERING.  81 

The  mountain  mist  took  form  and  limb  155 

Of  noontide  hag  or  goblin  grim  ; 

The  midnight  wind  came  wild  and  dread, 

Swelled  with  the  voices  of  the  dead ; 

Far  on  the  future  battle-heath 

His  eye  beheld  the  ranks  of  death :  160 

Thus  the  lone  Seer,  from  mankind  hurled, 

Shaped  forth  a  disembodied  world. 

One  lingering  sympathy  of  mind 

Still  bound  him  to  the  mortal  kind ; 

The  only  parent  he  could  claim  165 

Of  ancient  Alpine's  lineage  came. 

Late  had  he  heard,  in  prophet's  dream, 

The  fatal  Ben-Shie's  boding  scream ; 

Sounds,  too,  had  come  in  midnight  blast 

Of  charging  steeds,  careering  fast  170 

Along  Benharrow's  shingly  side. 

Where  mortal  horseman  ne'er  might  ride ; 

The  thunderbolt  had  split  the  pine,  — 

All  augured  ill  to  Alpine's  line. 

156.  Hag.    An  ugly  old  woman;  a  fury.  — Goblin.    An  evil  spirit. 
162.  Disembodied  world.    World  of  spirits. 

168.  Ben-Shie.  Most  great  families  in  the  Highlands  were  supposed  to 
have  a  tutelar,  or  rather  a  domestic  spirit,  attached  to  them,  who  took  an 
interest  in  their  prosperity,  and  intimated  by  its  wailings  any  apjiroaching 
disaster.  Ben-Shie  implies  a  female  fairy,  whose  lamentations  were  often 
supposed  to  precede  the  death  of  a  chieftain  of  particular  families.    Scott. 

169.  Sounds,  too,  had  come.  A  presage  of  the  kind  alluded  to  in  the 
text,  is  still  believed  to  announce  death  to  the  ancient  Highland  family  of 
M'Lean  of  Loch  Buy.  The  spirit  of  an  ancestor  slain  in  battle  is  heard  to 
gallop  along  a  stony  bank,  and  then  to  ride  thrice  around  the  family  resi- 
dence, ringing  his  fairy  bridle,  and  thus  intimating  the  approaching 
calamity.  How  easily  the  eye  as  well  as  the  ear  may  be  deceived  upon 
such  occasions,  is  evident  from  the  stories  of  armies  in  the  air,  and  other 
spectral  phenomena  with  which  history  abounds.    Scott. 

171.   Shingly.     Gravelly.  — 174.   Augured.     Foretold. 


(^' 


8^  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE.       canto  iii. 

He  girt  his  loins,  and  came  to  show  175 

The  signals  of  impending  woe, 

And  now  stood  prompt  to  bless  or  ban, 

As  bade  the  Chieftain  of  his  clan. 

VIII. 

'Twas  all  prepared ;  —  and  from  the  rock 
A  goat,  the  patriarch  of  the  flock,  180 

Before  the  kindling  pile  was  laid, 
And  pierced  by  Roderick's  ready  blade. 
Patient  the  sickening  victim  eyed 
The  life-blood  ebb  in  crimson  tide 
Down  his  clogged  beard  and  shaggy  limb,  185 

^      Till  darkness  glazed  his  eyeballs  dim. 
)-t-f ,  f  The  grisly  priest,  with  murmuring  prayer, 
A  slender  crosslet  framed  with  care, 
A  cubit's  length  in  measure  due ; 
The  shaft  and  limbs  were  rods  of  yew,  190 

Whose  parents  in  Inch-Cailliach  wave 
Their  shadoAVS  o'er  Clan-Alpine's  grave, 

176.  Impending.     Overhauging  or  threatening.  — 177.  Ban.    To  curse. 
180.  Patriarch.    Father  or  leader. —  188.  Crosslet.    A  little  cross. 

189.  Cubit.  A  measure  of  length,  being  the  distance  from  the  elbow  to 
the  end  of  the  middle  finger. /^^ 

190.  Yew.     An  evergreen  tree  frequently  found  in  British  churchyards. 

191.  Inch-Cailliach.  The  Isle  of  Nuns,  or  of  Old  Women,  is  a  most 
beautiful  island  at  the  lower  extremity  of  Loch  Lomond.  The  church 
belonging  to  the  former  nunnery  was  long  used  as  the  place  of  worship  for 
the  parish  of  Buchanan,  but  scarce  any  vestiges  of  it  now  remain.  The 
burial  ground  continues  to  be  used,  and  contains  the  family  places  of 
sepulture  of  several  neighboring  clans.  The  monuments  of  the  lairds  of 
MacGregor,  and  of  other  families,  claiming  a  descent  from  the  old  Scottish 
King  Alpine,  are  most  remarkable.  The  Highlanders  are  as  zealous  of 
their  rights  of  sepulture,  as  may  be  expected  from  a  people,  whose  whole 
laws  and  government,  if  clanship  can  be  called  so,  turned  upon  the  single 
principle  of  family  descent.     Scott. 


CANTO  III.  THE   GATHERING.  83 

And,  answering  Lomond's  breezes  deep, 

Soothe  many  a  chieftain's  endless  sleep. 

The  Cross  thns  formed  he  held  on  high,  195 

With  wasted  hand  and  haggard  eye, 

And  strange  and  mingled  feelings  woke, 

Wliile  his  anathema  he  spoke:  — 


IX. 

"  Woe  to  the  clansman  who  shall  view 

This  symbol  of  sepulchral  yew,  200 

Forgetful  that  its  branches  grew 

Where  weep  the  heavens  their  holiest  dew 

On  Alpine's  dwelling  low  !  - 
Deserter  of  his  Chieftain's  trust. 
He  ne'er  shall  mingle  with  their  dust,  205 

But,  from  his  sires  and  kindred  thrust. 
Each  clansman's  execration  just 

Shall  doom  him  wrath  and  Avoe." 
He  paused ;  —  the  word  the  vassals  took. 
With  forward  step  and  fiery  look,  210 

On  high  their  naked  brands  they  shook. 
Their  clattering  targets  wildly  strook  ; 

And  first  in  murmur  low. 
Then,  like  the  billow  in  his  course. 
That  far  to  seaward  finds  his  source,  215 

And  flings  to  shore  his  mustered  force, 

19G.  Haggard.  Sunken  by  suffering.  — 198.  Anathema.  A  ban  ^ 
curse  pronounced  by  the  church. 

200.  Symbol.  Emblem  or  sign.  —  Sepulchral.  Pertaining  to  the  grave. 
—  Yew.    Yew-trees  were  often  planted  in  cemeteries. 

207.  Execration.     Curse". 

200.  Vassal.  One  holding  lands  of  a  superior,  and  vowing  fidelity  and 
homage  to  him.    Wb.— 212.   Strook.     Old  form  of  struck. 


84  THE   LADY   OF  THE   LAKE.  canto  hi. 

Burst  with  loud  roar  their  answer  hoarse, 

"  Woe  to  the  traitor,  woe  !  " 
Ben-an's  gray  scalp  the  accents  knew, 
The  joyous  wolf  from  covert  drew,  220 

The  exulting  eagle  screamed  afar,  — 
They  knew  the  voice  of  Alpine's  war. 

X. 

The  shout  was  hushed  on  lake  and  fell, 

The  Monk  resumed  his  muttered  spell : 

Dismal  and  low  its  accents  came,  225 

The  while  he  scathed  the  Cross  with  flame  ; 

And  the  few  words  that  reached  the  air. 

Although  the  holiest  name  was  there, 

Had  more  of  blasphemy  than  prayer. 

But  when  he  shook  above  the  crowd  230 

Its  kindled  points,  he  spoke  aloud :  — 

"  Woe  to  the  wretch  who  fails  to  rear 

At  this  dread  sign  the  ready  spear ! 

For,  as  the  flames  this  symbol  sear. 

His  home,  the  refuge  of  his  fear,  235 

A  kindred  fate  shall  know ; 
Far  o'er  its  roof  the  volumed  flame 
Clan-Alpine's  vengeance  shall  proclaim, 
While  maids  and  matrons  on  his  name 
Shall  call  down  wretchedness  and  shame,  240 

And  infamy  and  woe." 
Then  rose  the  cry  of  females,  shrill 
As  goshawk's  whistle  on  the  hill, 

219.  Ben-An's  gray  scalp.  Bare  top. —220.  Covert.  Shelter,  thicket, 
or  hiding-place.  — 226.  Scathed.  Charred.— 241.  Infamy.  Public  dis- 
grace. —  243.  Goshawk.    A  slender,  brown  hawk,  with  white  breast. 


CANTO  III.  THE   GATHERING.  85 

Denouncing  misery  and  ill, 

Mingled  with  cliildhood's  babbling  trill  245 

Of  curses  stammered  slow  ; 
Answering  with  imprecation  dread, 
"  Sunk  be  his  home  in  embers  red ! 
And  cursed  be  the  meanest  shed 
That  e'er  shall  hide  the  houseless  head  2oO 

We  doom  to  want  and  woe  !  " 
A  sharp  and  shrieking  echo  gave, 
Coir-Uriskin,  thy  goblin  cave  ! 
And  the  gray  pass  where  birches  wave 

On  Beala-nam-bo.  255 

V 

Then  deeper  paused  the  priest  anew, 

And  hard  his  laboring  breath  he  drew, 

Wliile,  with  set  teeth  and  clenched  hand, 

And  eyes  that  glowed  like  fiery  brand, 

He  meditated  curse  more  dread,  260 

And  deadlier,  on  the  clansman's  head 

Who,  summoned  to  his  chieftain's  aid. 

The  signal  saw  and  disobeyed. 

The  crosslet's  points  of  sparkling  wood 

He  quenched  among  the  bubbling  blood,  265 

248.   Embers.    Lighted  coals  smouldering  in  ashes. 

253.  Coir-Uriskin,  or  Coir-nam-Uriskin  ("the  corry,  or  den,  of  the 
wild  men"),  a  hollow  cleft  in  the  northern  side  of  Benvenue,  supposed  to 
be  haunted  by  fairies  and  evil  spirits.  It  is  surrounded  by  rocks  and  over- 
shadowed by  birch-trees,  so  as  to  give  complete  shelter.  The  Urisk  is  the 
equivalent  of  the  Grecian  Satyr,  having  a  human  form  with  goat's  feet. 
Taylor. 

255.  Beala-nam-bo,  or  the  pass  of  cattle,  is  a  most  magnificent  glade, 
overhung  with  aged  birch-trees,  a  little  higher  up  the  mountain  than  the 
Coir-nauj-Uriskin.    Scott. 


86  THE   LADY   OF  THE   LAKE.  canto  hi. 

And,  as  again  the  sign  he  reared, 

Hollow  and  hoarse  his  voice  was  heard : 

"  When  flits  this  Cross  from  man  to  man, 

Vich-Alpine's  summons  to  his  clan. 

Burst  be  the  ear  that  fails  to  heed !  270 

Palsied  the  foot  that  shuns  to  speed ! 

May  ravens  tear  the  careless  eyes, 

Wolves  make  the  coward  heart  their  prize  ! 

As  sinks  that  blood-stream  in  the  earth, 

So  ma}^  his  heart's-blood  drench  his  hearth  !      275 

As  dies  in  hissing  gore  the  spark, 

Quench  thou  his  light.  Destruction  dark  ! 

And  be  the  grace  to  him  denied. 

Bought  by  this  sign  to  all  beside  ! " 

He  ceased ;  no  echo  gave  again  280 

The  murmur  of  the  deep  Amen. 

"  XII. 

Then  Roderick  with  impatient  look 

From  Brian's  hand  the  symbol  took : 

"  Speed,  Malise,  speed ! "  he  said,  and  gave 

The  crosslet  to  his  henchman  brave.  285 

''  The  muster-place  be  Lanrick  mead  — 

Instant  the  time  —  speed,  Malise,  speed  !  " 

Like  heath-bird,  when  the  hawks  pursue, 

A  barge  across  Loch  Katrine  flew :  ^i 

High  stood  the  henchman  on  the  prow;        '  '290 

So  rapidly  the  barge-men  row. 

The  bubbles,  where  they  launched  the  boat, 

Were  all  unbroken  and  afloat, 

271.  Palsied.    The  muscles  having  lost  their  power  of  answering  to  the 
will. — 286.  Lanrick  mead.     A  meadow  bordering  on  Loch  Yennachar. 


CANTO    III. 


THE   GATHERING.  87 


Dancing  in  foam  and  ripple  still, 
When  it  had  neared  the  mainland  hill ;  295 

And  from  the  silver  beach's  side 
.Still  was  the  prow  three  fathom  wide, 
When  lightly  bounded  to  the  land 
The  messenger  of  blood  and  brand. 

xni. 

Speed,  Malise,  speed !  the  dun  deer's  hide         300 

On  fleeter  foot  was  never  tied. 

Speed,  Malise,  speed !  such  cause  of  haste 

Thine  active  sinews  never  braced. 

Bend  'gainst  the  steepy  hill  thy  breast. 

Burst  down  like  torrent  from  its  crest ;  305 

With  short  and  springing  footstep  pass 

The  trembling  bog  and  false  morass ; 

Across  the  brook  like  roebuck  bound. 

And  thread  the  brake  like  questing  hound ; 

The  crag  is  high,  the  scaur  is  deep,  3io 

Yet  shrink  not  from  the  desperate  leap : 

Parched  are  thy  burning  lips  and  brow, 

Yet  by  the  fountain  pause  not  now ; 

Herald  of  battle,  fate,  and  fear, 

Stretch  onward  in  thy  fleet  career  !  315 

The  wounded  hind  thou  track'st  not  now, 

Pursuest  not  maid  through  greenwood  bough. 

Nor  pliest  thou  now  thy  flying  pace 

With  rivals  in  the  mountain  race ; 

."iOO.  Dun  deer's  hide.    The  ancient  huskin  of  the  Highlander  was  made 
of  the  undressed  deer's  hide,  with  the  bair  outwards. 

'SOT.   Morass.     Soft,  wet  ground.  — 301).   Questing.     Hunting. 
310.   Scaur  [6c«/-].    Steep  bank:  cliff. —;31(;.  Hind.     Female  deer. 


88  THE   LADY   OF  THE   LAKE.  canto  hi. 

But  danger,  death,  and  warrior  deed  320 

Are  in  thy  course  —  speed,  Malise,  speed ! 

XIV. 

Fast  as  the  fatal  symbol  flies, 

In  arms  the  huts  and  hamlets  rise ; 

From  winding  glen,  from  upland  brown. 

They  poured  each  hardy  tenant  down.  325 

Nor  slacked  the  messenger  his  pace ; 

He  showed  the  sign,  he  named  the  place. 

And,  pressing  forward  like  the  wind, 

Left  clamor  and  surprise  behind. 

The  fisherman  forsook  the  strand,  330 

The  swarthy  smith  took  dirk  and  brand ; 

With  changed  cheer,  the  mower  blithe 

Left  in  the  half-cut  swath  his  scythe  ; 

The  herds  without  a  keeper  strayed, 

The  plough  was  in  mid-furrow  stayed,  335 

The  falconer  tossed  his  hawk  away. 

The  hunter  left  the  stag  at  bay ; 

Prompt  at  the  signal  of  alarms. 

Each  son  of  Alpine  rushed  to  arms ; 

So  swept  the  tumult  and  affray  340 

Along  the  margin  of  Achray. 

Alas,  thou  lovely  lake  !  that  e'er 

Thy  banks  should  echo  sounds  of  fear! 

The  rocks,  the  bosky  thickets,  sleep 

So  stilly  on  thy  bosom  deep,  345 

The  lark's  blithe  carol  from  the  cloud 

Seems  for  the  scene  too  gayly  loud. 

329.  Clamor.  Loud  outcry. —  330.  Strand.  Shore.  — 331.  Swarthy. 
Black.  —  333.  Swath.  The  grass  cut  by  the  sweep  of  a  scythe  in  mow- 
ing.—344.    Bosky.  Woody  or  bushy.  —  346.    Blithe  carol.   Merry  song. 


CANTO    III. 


THE   GATHERING.  89 


XV. 

Speed,  Malise,  speed  I     The  lake  is  past, 

Duncraggan's  huts  appear  at  last, 

And  peep,  like  moss-grown  rocks,  half  seen,      350 

Half  hidden  in  the  copse  so  green ; 

There  mayst  thou  rest,  thy  labor  done. 

Their  lord  shall  speed  the  signal  on.  — 

As  stoops  the  hawk  upon  his  prey. 

The  henchman  shot  him  down  the  way.  355 

What  woeful  accents  load  the  gale  ? 

The  funeral  yell,  the  female  wail  I 

A  gallant  hunter's  sport  is  o'er, 

A  valiant  warrior  fights  no  more. 

Who,  in  the  battle  or  the  chase,  360 

At  Roderick's  side  shall  fill  his  place !  — 

Within  the  hall,  where  torch's  ray 

Supplies  the  excluded  beams  of  day, 

Lies  Duncan  on  his  lowly  bier, 

And  o'er  him  streams  his  widow's  tear,.  365 

His  stripling  son  stands  mournful  by, 

His  youngest  weeps,  but  knows  not  why  ; 

The  village  maids  and  matrons  round 

The  dismal  coronach  resound. 

XVI. 

He  is  gone  on  the  mountain,  370 

He  is  lost  to  the  forest, 

349.   Duncraggan.    A  homestead  near  the  Brigg  of  Turk. 

369.  Coronach.  The  Coronach  of  the  Highlanders  was  a  wild  expres- 
sion of  lamentation,  poured  forth  by  the  mourners  over  the  body  of  a  departed 
friend.  When  the  words  of  it  were  articulate,  they  expressed  the  praises  of 
the  deceased,  and  the  loss  the  clan  would  sustain  by  his  death.    Scott. 


90  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE. 


(JANTO    III. 


Like  a  summer-dried  fountain, 
When  our  need  was  the  sorest. 

The  font,  reappearing. 

From  the  rain-drops  shall  borrow,  375 

But  to  us  comes  no  cheering, 
To  Duncan  no  morrow  ! 

The  hand  of  the  reaper 

Takes  the  ears  that  are  hoary, 
But  the  voice  of  the  weeper  380 

Wails  manhood  in  glory. 
The  autumn  winds  rushing 

Waft  the  leaves  that  are  searest, 
But  our  flower  was  in  flushing. 

When  blighting  was  nearest.  385 

Fleet  foot  on  the  correi, 

Sage  counsel  in  cumber. 
Red  hand  in  the  foray. 

How  sound  is  thy  slumber! 
Like  the  dew  on  the  mountain,  390 

Like  the  foam  on  the  river. 
Like  the  bubble  on  the  fountain. 

Thou  art  gone,  and  forever ! 

XVII.  ■ 

See  Stumah,  who,  the  bier  beside. 

His  master's  corpse  with  wonder  eyed,  3M5 

Poor  Stumah !  whom  his  least  halloo 

Could  send  like  lightning  o'er  the  dew, 

379.  Hoary.  White  with  age;  ripe  for  the  harvest. — 383.  Searest.  Dry- 
est.  —  384.  Flushing.  Full  bloom.  —  386.  Correi.  The  hollow  side  of  the 
hill,  where  game  usually  lies.  —  387.   Cumber.     Trouble,  perplexity. 

394.   Stumah.     Faithful.    The  name  of  a  dog. 


CANTO  III.  THE   GATHEniNG.  91 

Bristles  his  crest,  and  points  his  ears, 

As  if  some  stranger  step  he  hears. 

'Tis  not  a  mourner's  muffled  tread,  400 

< 

Who  comes  to  sorrow  o'er  the  dead, 

But  headlong  haste  or  deadly  fear 

Urge  the  precipitate  career^ 

All  stand  aghast :  —  unheeding  all, 

Tlie  henchman  bursts  into  the  hall ;  405 

Before  the  dead  man's  bier  he  stood, 

Held  forth  the  Cross  besmeared  with  blood ; 

"  The  muster-place  is  Lanrick  mead  ; 

Speed  forth  the  signal !  clansmen,  speed !  " 

xvni. 

Angus,  the  heir  of  Duncan's  line,  410 

Sprung  forth  and  seized  the  fatal  sign. 

In  haste  the  stripling  to  his  side 

His  father's  dirk  and  broadsword  tied ; 

But  wlien  he  saw  his  mother's  eye 

Watch  him  in  speechless  agony,  415 

Back  to  her  opened  arms  he  flew. 

Pressed  on  her  lips  a  fond  adieu,  — 

'*  Alas  !  "  she  sobbed,  —  "  and  yet  be  gone, 

And  ^peed  thee  forth,  like  Duncan's  son !  " 

One  look  he  cast  upon  the  bier,  420 

Dashed  from  his  eye  the  gathering  tear. 

Breathed  deep  to  clear  his  laboring  breast. 

And  tossed  aloft  his  bonnet  crest, 

Then,  like  the  high-bred  colt  when,  freed, 

First  he  essays  his  fire  and  speed,  425 

He  vanished,  and  o'er  moor  and  moss 

Sped  forward  with  the  Fiery  Cross. 


92  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  hi. 

Suspended  was  the  widow's  tear 
While  yet  his  footsteps  she  could  hear ; 
And  when  she  marked  the  henchman's  eye        430 
Wet  with  unwonted  sympathy, 
.     "  Kinsman,"  she  said,  "  his  race  is  run 
Jli/.   That  should  have  sped  thine  errand  on ; 
The  oak  has  fallen,  —  the  sapling  bough 
Is  all  Duncraggan's  shelter  now.  435 

Yet  trust  I  well,  his  duty  done. 
The  orphan's  God  will  guard  my  son.  — 
And  you,  in  many  a  danger  true, 
At  Duncan's  hest  your  blades  that  drew. 
To  arms,  and  guard  that  orphan's  head !  440 

Let  babes  and  women  wail  the  dead." 
Then  weapon-clang  and  martial  call 
Resounded  tln-ough  the  funeral  hall. 
While  from  the  walls  the  attendant  band 
Snatched  sword  and  targe  with  hurried  hand ;  445 
And  short  and  flitting  energy 
Glanced  from  the  mourner's  sunken  eye, 
As  if  the  sounds  to  warrior  dear 
Might  rouse  her  Duncan  from  his  bier. 
But  faded  soon  that  borrowed  force  ;  450 

Grief  claimed  his  right,  and  tears  their  course. 

XIX. 

y       Benledi  saw  the  Gross  bi  Fire, 

It  glanced  like^lightning  up  Strath-Ire. 

439.  Hest.    Behest,  command.— 445.  Targe.    Target. 

453.  Strath-Ire.  The  first  stage  of  the  Fiery  Cross  is  to  Duncraggan,  a 
place  near  the  Brigg  of  Turk,  where  a  short  stream  divides  Loch  Achray 
from  Loch  Vennachar.  From  thence,  it  passes  towards  Callender,  and 
then,  turning  to  the  left  up  the  pass  of  Leny,  is  consigned  to  Norman  at 


CANTO  in.  THE   GATHERING.  93 

O'er  dale  and  hill  the  summons  flew, 

Nor  rest  nor  pause  young  Angus  knew ;  455 

The  tear  that  gathered  in  his  eye 

He  left  the  mountain-breeze  to  dry ; 

Until,  where  Teith's  young  waters  roll 

Betwixt  him  and  a  Avooded  knoll 

That  graced  the  sable  strath  with  green,  4go 

The  chapel  of  Saint  Bride  was  seen. 

Swoln  was  the  stream,  remote  the  bridge, 

But  Angus  paused  not  on  the  edge ; 

Though  the  dark  waves  danced  dizzily, 

Though  reeled  his  sympathetic  eje,  465 

He  dashed  amid  the  torrent's  roar  : 

His  right  hand  high  the  crosslet  bore, 

His  left  the  pole-axe  grasped,  to  guide 

And  stay  his  footing  in  the  tide. 

He  stumbled  tmce,  —  the  foam  splashed  high,  470 

With  hoarser  swell  the  stream  raced  by ; 

And  had  he  fallen,  —  forever  there. 

Farewell  Duncraggan's  orphan  heir! 

But  still,  as  if  in  parting  life, 

Firmer  he  grasped  the  Cross  of  strife,  475 

Until  the  opposing  bank  he  gained. 

And  up  the  chapel  pathway  strained. 

XX. 

A  blithesome  rout  that  morning-tide 
Had  sought  the  chapel  of  Saint  Bride. 

the  chapel  of  Saint  Bride,  which  stood  on  a  small  and  romantic  knoll  in 
the  middle  of  the  valley,  called  Strath-Ire.  Tombea  and  Arnandave,  or 
Ardmandave,  are  names  of  places  in  the  vicinity.  The  alarm  is  then  sup- 
posed to  pass  along  the  lake  of  Lubnaig,  aud  through  the  various  glens  in 
the  district  of  Balquidder,  including  the  neighboring  tracts  of  Glenfinlas  and 
Strath-Gartney.  Scott.— 468.  Pole-axe.   A  kind  of  long-handled  hatchet. 


94  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  hi. 

Her  troth  Tombea's  Mary  gave  480 

To  Norman,  heir  of  Armandave, 

And,  issuing  from  the  Gothic  arch. 

The  bridal  now  resumed  their  march. 

In  rude  but  glad  procession  came 

Bonneted  sire  and  coif-clad  dame;  4«5 

And  plaided  youth,  with  jest  and  jeer, 

Which  snooded  maiden  would  not  hear ; 

And  cliildren,  that,  unwitting  why. 

Lent  the  gay  shout  their  shrilly  cry ; 

And  minstrels,  that  in  measures  vied  490 

Before  the  young  and  bonny  bride. 

Whose  downcast  eye  and  cheek  disclose 

The  tear  and  blush  of  morning  rose. 

With  virgin  step  and  bashful  hand 

She  held  the  kerchief's  snowy  band.  495 

The  gallant  bridegroom  by  her  side 

Beheld  his  prize  with  victor's  pride. 

And  the  glad  mother  in  her  ear 

Was  closely  whispering  word  of  cheer. 

XXI. 

Who  meets  them  at  the  churchyard  gate  ?         soo 

The  messenger  of  fear  and  fate  ! 

Haste  in  his  hurried  accent  lies, 

And  grief  is  swimming  in  his  eyes. 

All  dripping  from  the  recent  flood, 

Panting  and  travel-soiled  he  stood,  505 

The  fatal  sign  of  fire  and  sword 

Held  forth,  and  spoke  the  appointed  word : 

485,  495.   Coif,  kerchief.     See  line  116. 


CANTO    III. 


THE   GATHERING. 


95 


528. 


.   "  The  muster-place  is  Laiirick  mead ; 
vSpeed  fortli  the  signal !     Norman,  speed  !  " 
And  must  he  change  so  soon  the  hand  5io 

Just  linked  to  his  by  holy  band, 
f  For  the  fell  Cross  of  blood  and  brand  ? 
■^'  ^nd  must  the  day  so  blithe  that  rose. 
And  promised  rapture  in  the  close, 
Before  its  setting  hour,  divide  sio 

The  bridegroom  from  the  plighted  bride  ? 
O  fatal  doom  !  —  it  must !  it  must ! 
Clan- Alpine's  cause,  her  Chieftain's  trust. 
Her  summons  dread,  brook  no  delay ; 
Stretch  to  the  race,  —  away  !  away !  520 

XXII. 

Yet  slow  he  laid  his  plaid  aside. 

And  lingering  eyed  his  lovely  bride, 

Until  he  saw  the  starting  tear 

Speak  woe  he  might  not  stop  to  cheer ; 

Then,  trusting  not  a  second  look,  525 

In  haste  he  sped  him  up  the  brook. 

Nor  backward  glanced  till  on  the  heath 

Where  Lubnaig's  kke  supplies  the  Teith.  — 

What  in  the  racer's  bosom  stirred  ? 

The  sickening  pang  of  hope  deferred,  530 

And  memory  with  a  torturing  train 

Of  all  his  morning  visions  vain. 

Mingled  with  love's  impatience,  came 

The  manly  thirst  for  martial  fame ; 

The  stormy  joy  of  mountaineers  535 

Ere  yet  they  rush  upon  the  spears ; 

Lubnaig.     "  The  lake  of  small  bends,"  lying  east  of  Ben  Ledi. 


96  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  in. 

And  zeal  for  Clan  and  Chieftain  burning, 
And  hope,  from  well-fought  field  returning, 
With  war's  red  honors  on  his  crest. 
To  clasp  his  Mary  to  his  breast.  540 

Stung  by  such  thoughts,  o'er  bank  and  brae, 
^>_  Like  fire  from  flint  he  glanced  away,^ 
^'^  While  high  resolve  and  feeling  strong 

Burst  into  voluntary  song. 


XXIII. 

The  heath  this  night  must  be  my  bed,  545 

The  bracken  curtain  for  my  head, 
My  lullaby  the  warder's  tread, 

Far,  far,  from  love  and  thee,  Mary  ; 
To-morrow  eve,  more  stilly  laid. 
My  couch  may  be  my  bloody  plaid,  550 

My  vesper  song  thy  wail,  sweet  maid ! 

It  will  not  waken  me,  Mary ! 

I  may  not,  dare  not,  fancy  now 

The  grief  that  clouds  thy  lovely  brow, 

I  dare  not  think  upon  thy  vow,  5.w 

And  all  it  promised  me,  Mary. 
No  fond  regret  must  Norman  know  ;        ,      . 
When  bursts  Clan- Alpine  on  the  foe,  ryj^ 
His  heart  must  be  like  bended  bow, 

His  foot  like  arrow  free,  Mary.  560 

544.   Voluntary.     Of  his  own  free  will. 
546.  Bracken.    Fern. 


CANTO  III.  THE    GATHERING.  97 

A  time  will  come  with  feeling  fraught, 
For,  if  I  fall  in  battle  fought, 
Thy  hapless  lover's  dying  thought 

Sliall  be  a  thought  on  thee,  Mary. 
And  if  returned  from  conquered  foes,  so;" 

How  blithely  will  the  evening  close. 
How  sweet  the  linnet  sing  repose. 

To  my  young  bride  and  me,  Mary ! 

XXIV. 

Not  faster  o'er  thy  heathery  braes, 

Balquidder,  speeds  the  midnight  blaze,  570 

Rushing  in  conflagration  strong 

Thy  deep  ravines  and  dells  along. 

Wrapping  thy  cliffs  in  purple  glow, 

And  reddening  the  dark  lakes  below ; 

Nor  faster  speeds  it,  nor  so  far,  575 

As  o'er  thy  heaths  the  voice  of  war. 

The  signal  roused  to  martial  coil 

The  sullen  margin  of  Loch  Voil, 

Waked  still  Loch  Doine,  and  to  the  source 

Alarmed,  Balvaig,  thy  swampy  course  ;  580 

Thence  southward  turned  its  rapid  road 

Adown  Strath-Gartney's  valley  broad, 

570.  Midnight  blaze.  The  heath  on  the  Scottish  moorlands  is  often  set 
fire  to,  that  the  sheep  may  have  the  advantage  of  the  young  herbage  pro- 
duced, in  room  of  the  tough  old  heather  plants.  This  custom  (execrated 
by  sportsmen)  produces  occasionally  the  most  beautiful  nocturnal  appear- 
ances, similar  almost  to  the  discharge  of  a  volcano.     Scott. 

572.  Ravine.  A  deep  and  narrow  hollow  worn  by  a  stream  of  water; 
a  gorge. 

577.   Coil.     Tumult,  confusion. 

580.   Balvaig.     River  flowing  from  Lochs  Voil  and  Doine  into  Lubnaig. 


582.   Strath-Gartney.     Valley  bordering  on  Loch  Katrine. 

,7 


y^ 


b 


^:j.^tru<t^^ 


98  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  hi. 

Till  rose  in  arms  each  man  might  claim 

A  portion  of  Clan-Alpine's  name, 

From  the  gray  sire,  whose  trembhng  hand         585 

Conlcl  hardly  buckle  on  his  brand. 

To  the  raw  boy,  whose  shaft  and  bow 

Were  yet  scarce  terror  to  the  crow. 

Each  valley,  each  sequestered  glen. 

Mustered  its  little  horde  of  men,  590 

That  met  as  torrents  from  the  height 

In  Highland  dales  their  streams  unite, 

Still  gathering,  as  they  pour  along, 

A  voice  more  loud,  a  tide  more  strong. 

Till  at  the  rendezvous  they  stood  595 

By  hundreds  prompt  for  blows  and  blood, 

Each  trained  to  arms  since  life  beo"an. 

Owning  no  tie  but  to  his  clan, 

No  oath  but  by  his  chieftain's  hand. 

No  law  but  Roderick  Dhu's  command.  coo 

XXV. 

That  summer  morn  had  Roderick  Dhu 
Surveyed  the  skirts  of  Benvenue, 
And  sent  his  scouts  o'er  hill  and  heath. 
To  view  the  frontiers  of  Menteith. 

589.  Sequestered.     Set  apart  or  retired. 

590.  Horde.     Clan  or  tribe. 

595.  Rendezvous.  Au  appointed  place  for  meeting,  especially  for 
troops  or  ships  of  war. 

599.  By  his  chieftain's  hand.  The  deep  and  implicit  respect  paid  by 
the  Highland  clansmen  to  their  chief,  rendered  this  both  a  common  and  a 
solemn  oath.  In  other  respects,  they  were  like  most  savage  nations, 
capricious  in  their  ideas  concerning  the  obligatory  power  of  oaths.    Scott. 

602.   Skirts.     Borders,  margins. 


CANTO    ITT. 


THE    GATHERING.  99 


All  backward  came  with  news  of  truce ;  no.^ 

Still  lay  each  martial  Graeme  and  Bruce, 

In  Rednock  courts  no  horsemen  wait. 

No  banner  waved  on  Cardross  gate, 

On  Duchray's  towers  no  beacon  shone, 

Nor  scared  the  herons  from  Loch  Con ;  uio 

All  seemed  at  peace.  —  Now  wot  ye  why 

The  Chieftain  with  such  anxious  eye, 

Ere  to  the  muster  he  repair. 

This  western  frontier  scanned  with  care  ?  — 

In  Benvenue's  most  darksome  cleft,  oi") 

A  fair  though  cruel  pledge  was  left ; 

For  Douglas,  to  his  promise  true. 

That  morning  from  the  isle  withdrew. 

And  in  a  deep  sequestered  dell 

Had  sought  a  low  and  lonely  cell.  620 

By  many  a  bard  in  Celtic  tongue 

Has  Coir-nan-Uriskin  been  sung ; 

A  softer  name  the  Saxons  gave, 

And  called  the  grot  the  Goblin  Cave. 

XXVI. 

It  was  a  wild  and  strange  retreat,  fi25 

As  e'er  was  trod  by  outlaw's  feet. 
The  dell,  upon  the  mountain's  crest, 
Yawned  like  a  gash  on  warrior's  breast ; 

(KX).  Grseme.  Canto  II.,  line  100.— Bruce.  A  family  illustrious  in 
Scottish  history.— G07-0.  Rednock,  Cardross,  Duchray.    Castles. 

GIO.  Loch  Con.  "Lake  of  the  dogs,"  lying  between  Benvenue  and 
Ben  Lomond. 

G14.   Scanned.    Examined  with  care. 

G22.   Coir-nan-TJriskin.     Canto  III.,  line  253. 


100  THE   LADY   OF  THE   LAKE.  canto  hi. 

Its  trench  had  stayed  full  many  a  rock, 

Hurled  by  primeval  earthquake  shock  630 

From  Beuvenue's  gray  summit  wild, 

And  here,  in  random  ruin  piled, 

They  frowned  incumbent  o'er  the  spot, 

And  formed  the  rugged  sylvan  grot. 

The  oak  and  birch  with  mingled  shade  635 

At  noontide  there  a  twilight  made, 

Unless  when  short  and  sudden  shone 

Some  straggling  beam  on  cliff  or  stone, 

With  such  a  glimpse  as  prophet's  eye 

Gains  on  thy  depth.  Futurity.  640 

No  murmur  waked  the  solemn  still, 

Save  tinkling  of  a  fountain  rill ; 

But  when  the  wind  chafed  with  the  lake, 

A  sullen  sound  would  upward  break, 

With  dashing  hollow  voice,  that  spoke  645 

The  incessant  war  of  wave  and  rock. 

Suspended  cliffs  with  hideous  sway 

Seemed  nodding  o'er  the  cavern  gray. 

From  such  a  den  the  wolf  had  sprung, 

In  such  the  wild-cat  leaves  her  young;  650 

Yet  Douglas  and  his  daughter  fair 

Sought  for  a  space  their  safety  there. 

Gray  Superstition's  whisper  dread 

Debarred  the  spot  to  vulgar  tread ; 

For  there,  she  said,  did  fays  resort,  655 

And  satyrs  hold  their  sylvan  court, 

630.  Primeval.    Belonging  to  the  first  ages.  — 632.  Random.    Without 


aim. 


G33.  Incumbent.     Lying  npon,  or  overhanging. 
656.   Satyr  [Sd'tijr].    Note,  Canto  III.,  line  253. 


CANTO    ITI. 


THE    GATHERING.  .    ,  ;.  101 


By  moonlight  tread  their  mystic  mazt^, 
And  Wast  the  rash  beholder's  gaze. 


'  J  ,  J   > 
.    >  ^ , '  '  > '  ' 


XXVII. 

Now  eve,  with  western  shadows  long, 

Floated  on  Katrine  bright  and  strong,  ^^^^ 

When  Roderick  with  a  chosen  few 

Repassed  the  heights  of  Benvenue. 

Above  the  Goblin  Cave  they  go. 

Through  the  wild  pass  of  Beal-nam-bo ; 

The  prompt  retainers  speed  before,  ^^5 

To  launch  the  shallop  from  the  shore, 

For  'cross  Loch  Katrine  lies  his  way 

To  view  the  passes  of  Achray, 

And  place  his  clansmen  in  array. 

Yet  lags  the  Chief  in  musing  mind,  670 

Unwonted  sight,  his  men  behind. 

A  single  page,  to  bear  his  sword. 

Alone  attended  on  his  lord; 

The  rest  their  way  through  thickets  break. 

And  soon  await  him  by  the  lake. 

It  was  a  fair  and  gallant  sight, 

To  view  them  from  the  neighboring  height. 

By  the  low-levelled  sunbeam's  light ! 

For  strength  and  stature,  from  the  clan 

Each  warrior  was  a  chosen  man,  680 

As  even  afar  might  well  be  seen. 

By  their  proud  step  and  martial  mien. 

Their  feathers  dance,  their  tartans  float. 

Their  targets  gleam,  as  by  the  boat 

072.  Page.    Boy-servant. 


()75 


102  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  hi. 

A  \vild  ai^d  warlike  group  tliey  stand,  685 

That  well  became  such  mountain-strand. 


XXVIII. 


J 


090 


Their  Chief  with  step  reluctant  still 

Was  lingering  on  the  craggy  hill. 

Hard  by  where  turned  apart  the  road 

To  Douglas's  obscure  abode. 

It  was  but  with  that  dawning  morn 

That  Roderick  Dhu  had  proudly  SAvorn 

To  drown  his  love  in  war's  wild  roar, 

Nor  think  of  Ellen  Douglas  more ; 

But  he  who  stems  a  stream  with  sand,  695 

And  fetters  flame  with  flaxen  band, 

Has  3^et  a  harder  task  to  prove,  — 

By  firm  resolve  to  conquer  love  I 

Eve  finds  the  Chief,  like  restless  ghost. 

Still  hovering  near  his  treasure  lost :  700 

For  though  his  haughty  heart  deny 

A  parting  meeting  to  his  eye. 

Still  fondly  strains  his  anxious  ear 

The  accents  of  her  voice  to  hear, 

And  inly  did  he  curse  the  breeze  7or) 

That  waked  to  sound  the  rustling  trees. 

But  hark  !  what  mingles  in  the  strain  ? 

It  is  the  harp  of  Allan-bane, 

That  wakes  its  measure  slow  and  high. 

Attuned  to  sacred  minstrelsy.  7io 

What  melting  voice  attends  the  strings  ? 

'Tis  Ellen,  or  an  angel,  sings. 


CAXTO  III.  THE    GATHERING.  103 

XXIX. 

Pgmn  to  tijc  Ji^irgin. 
Ave  Maria  !  maiden  mild  ! 

Listen  to  a  maiden's  prayer  ! 
Thou  canst  hear  though  from  the  wild,  715 

Thou  canst  save  amidst  despair. 
Safe  may  we  sleep  beneath  thy  care, 

Though  banished,  outcast,  and  reviled  — 
Maiden  !  hear  a  maiden's  prayer ; 

Mother,  hear  a  suppliant  child  !  720 

Ave  Maria! 

Ave  Maria  !  undefiled  ! 

The  flinty  couch  we  now  must  share 
Shall  seem  with  down  of  eider  piled, 

If  thy  protection  hover  there. 
The  murky  cavern's  heavy  air  725 

Shall  breathe  of  balm  if  thou  hast  smiled ; 
Then,  Maiden  I  hear  a  maiden's  prayer, 

Mother,  list  a  suppliant  child  ! 

Ave  Maria! 

Ave  Maria!  stainless  styled! 

Foul  demons  of  the  earth  and  air,  730 

From  this  their  wonted  haunt  exiled, 

Shall  flee  before  thy  presence  fair. 
We  bow  us  to  our  lot  of  care, 

Beneath  thy  guidance  reconciled  ; 
Hear  for  a  maid  a  maiden's  prayer,  735 

And  for  a  father  hear  a  child ! 

Ave  Maria! 

713.  Ave  Maria!  Hail.  Mary!  The  beginning  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
prayer  to  the  Virgin  Mary. 

723.  Down  of  eider.  Soft,  fine  feathers  of  the  eider  duck,  a  sea-bird 
living  in  extreme  northern  regions.  — 725.   Murky.     Dark,  gloomy. 


104  THE   LADY   OE   THE   LAKE.  <jamo  hi. 

XXX. 

Died  on  the  harp  the  closing  hymn, — 

Unmoved  in  attitude  and  limb, 

As  listening  still,  Clan-Alpine's  lord 

Stood  leaning  on  his  heavy  sword,  74» 

Until  the  page  with  humble  sign 

Twice  pointed  to  the  sun's  decline. 

Then  while  his  plaid  he  round  him  cast, 

''  It  is  the  last  time  —  'tis  the  last," 

He  muttered  thrice,  — "the  last  time  e'er         745 

That  angel-voice  shall  Roderick  hear !  " 

It  was  a  goading  thought,  —  his  stride 

Hied  hastier  down  the  mountain-side  ; 

Sullen  he  flung  him  in  the  boat. 

An  instant  'cross  the  lake  it  shot.  75© 

They  landed  in  that  silvery  bay. 

And  eastward  lield  their  hasty  way, 

Till,  with  the  latest  beams  of  light, 

The  band  arrived  on  Lanrick  height, 

Where  mustered  in  the  vale  below  755 

Clan-Alpine's  men  in  martial  show. 


*  XXXI. 


A  various  scene  the  clansmen  made  : 

Some  sat,  some  stood,  some  slowly  strayed ; 

But  most,  with  mantles  folded  round. 

Were  couched  to  rest  upon  the  ground,  76« 

Scarce  to  be  known  by  curious  eye 

From  the  deep  heather  where  they  lie, 

So  well  was  matched  the  tartan  screen 

With  heath-bell  dark  and  brackens  green  ; 

A 


CANTO    HI. 


THE   GATHERING.  105 


Unless  where,  here  and  there,  a  blade  765 

Or  lance's  point  a  glimmer  made. 

Like  glow-worm  twinkling  through  the  shade. 

But  when,  advancing  through  the  gloom. 

They  saw  the  Chieftain's  eagle  plume, 

Their  shout  of  welcome,  shrill  and  wide,  770 

Shook  the  steep  mountain's  steady  side. 

Thrice  it  arose,  and  lake  and  fell 

Three  times  returned  the  martial  yell ; 

It  died  upon  Bochastle's  plain. 

And  Silence  claimed  her  evening  reign.  tl5 


OUTLINE  OF  CANTO  FOURTH. 


The  clans  are  gathered,  the  Lowlanders  are  at  Doune  waiting 
the  command  to  advance,  and  Brian  tries  by  a  weird  augury  to 
discover  what  shall  be  the  issue  of  the  fight.  He  takes  care  to 
magnify  his  own  courage  and  merit  in  so  doing,  and  declares,  as 
the  result  of  his  spells,  that  the  victory  will  rest  with  those  that 
draw  the  first  blood.  Meantime  the  Donglas  has  left  his  daughter 
in  Allan's  charge,  and  himself  is  gone  on  some  secret  errand,  which 
he  does  not  confide  to  them.  Ellen's  fears  are  aroused.  She  feels 
as  by  instinct  that  her  father  has  gone  to  purchase,  by  surrender  of 
himself,  the  release  of  Malcolm  Grasme,  whom  they  imagine  to  be 
captive.  In  vain  the  minstrel  seeks  to  cheer  her  grief.  She  gives 
little  heed  to  his  song.  It  is  hardly  ended  when  Fitz-James  again 
appears,  bent  now  on  carrying  her  off  with  him  to  Stirling,  away 
from  noise  of  battle.  She  has  recognized  his  noble  nature,  and 
feels  that  the  safest  way  is  to  trust  him  with  her  secret.  He  offers 
to  stay  for  her  protection ;  but  Ellen  knows  better  than  he  the 
danger  that  this  would  involve  to  them  both,  and  declines  the 
offer.  So  he  leaves  with  her  a  ring,  a  pledge,  as  he  says,  which  he 
received  from  the  king,  and  which  will  assure  her  of  the  king's  pro- 
tection. He  returns  to  his  guide,  who  is  really  a  clansman  of 
Roderick,  set  to  draw  him  on,  in  the  belief  that  he  is  a  spy.  They 
set  off  eastward,  when  suddenly  the  guide  gives  a  loud  whoop. 
Fitz-James,  to  whom  Allan  Bane  has  already  suggested  doubts  of 
the  man's  truth,  fancies  that  this  is  a  signal  cry ;  but  Murdoch 
manages  for  the  time  to  lull  his  suspicions.  Presently  they  come 
upon  a  wild-looking  woman,  taken  captive,  as  Murdoch  relates,  in 
one  of  Clan-Alpine's  raids  in  the  Lowlands.  It  had  been  her 
wedding-morn,  and  her  husband  had  fallen  by  Roderick's  sword. 
Her  reason  had  given  way ;  but  one  passion,  that  of  revenge,  is 
awake   still;      She   recognizes   the   knight's   Lowland   dress,   and 


OUTLINE   OF   CANTO   FOURTH.  107 

warns  him  in  a  wild  song  of  his  danger.  He  turns  upon  his 
guide,  and  bids  him  disclose  his  treachery.  But  the  man  takes 
to  his  heels,  first  discharging  a  Parthian  shot,  which  grazes  the 
knight's  helmet,  and  fatally  wounds  poor  Blanche.  Murdoch's 
speed  is  vain ;  he  is  overtaken  and  slain  before  he  can  reach  his 
friends;  and  Fitz-James,  soothing  the  mad  woman  in  her  last 
hour,  swears  to  avenge  her  wrong  on  Roderick.  Left  without 
guide  in  the  midst  of  foes,  he  deems  it  prudent  not  to  advance  till 
nightfall.  Then  he  pursues  his  way  as  best  he  can ;  but  soon 
comes  full  upon  one  of  the  enemy's  watch-fires.  He  boldly  avows 
himself  Roderick's  foe ;  but  the  stranger,  assured  that  he  is  not  a 
spy,  refuses  to  take  advantage  of  his  weariness,  and  gives  him 
shelter  for  the  night,  promising  to  guide  him  on  the  morrow  to 
the  border  of  the  king's  domain.  —  Taylor. 


THE   PROPHECY. 


I. 


a 


The  rose  is  fairest  when  'tis  budding  new, 

And  hope  is  brightest  when  it  dawns  from  fears ; 
The  rose  is  sweetest  washed  with  morning  dew, 

And  love  is  loveliest  when  embalmed  in  tears. 
O  wilding  rose,  whom  fancy  thus  endears,  5 

I  bid  your  blossoms  in  my  bonnet  wave, 
Emblem  of  hope  and  love  through  future  years !  " 

Thus  spoke  young  Norman,  heir  of  Armandave, 
What  time  the  sun  arose  on  Vennachar's  broad  wave. 


II. 

Such  fond  conceit,  half  said,  half  sung,  lo 

Love  prompted  to  the  bridegroom's  tongue. 

All  while  he  stripped  the  wild-rose  spray, 

His  axe  and  bow  beside  him  lay. 

For  on  a  pass  'twixt  lake  and  wood 

A  wakeful  sentinel  he  stood.  15 

Hark  !  —  on  the  rock  a  footstep  rung, 

And  instant  to  his  arms  he  sprung. 

"  Stand,  or  thou  diest !  — What,  Malise  ?  —  soon 

Art  thou  returned  from  Braes  of  Doune. 

10.  Conceit.    Fancy,  anticipation.  — 11.  Prompted.    Suggested,  urged. 
19.  Braes  of  Doune.     Hill  slopes  on  the  north  side  of  the  Teith. 


CANTO  IV.  THE   PROPHECY.  109 

By  thy  keen  step  and  glance  I  know,  20 

Thou  bring'st  us  tidings  of  the  foe."  — 

For  while  the  Fiery  Cross  hied  on, 

On  distant  scout  had  Malise  gone.  — 

"Where  sleeps  the  Chief?"  the  henchman  said. 

"  Apart,  in  yonder  misty  glade  ;  25 

To  his  lone  couch  I'll  be  your  guide."  — 

Then  called  a  slumberer  by  his  side, 

And  stirred  him  with  his  slackened  bow,  — 

"  Up,  up,  Glentarkin  !  rouse  thee,  ho ! 

We  seek  the  Chieftain ;  on  the  track  30 

Keep  eagle  watch  till  I  come  back." 

III. 

Together  up  the  pass  they  sped: 

"  What  of  the  foeman?  "  Norman  said.  — 

"  Varying  reports  from  near  and  far ; 

This  certain,  —  that  a  band  of  war  35 

Has  for  two  days  been  ready  boune. 

At  prompt  command  to  march  from  Doune  ; 

King  James  the  while,  with  princely  powers, 

Holds  revelry  in  Stirling  towers. 

Soon  will  this  dark  and  gathering  cloud  40 

Speak  on  our  glens  in  thunder  loud. 

Inured  to  bide  such  bitter  bout. 

The  warrior's  plaid  may  bear  it  out ; 

But,  Norman,  how  wilt  thou  provide 

A  shelter  for  thy  bonny  bride  ?  "  —  45 

"  What !  know  ye  not  that  Roderick's  care 

36.   Boune.     Prepared. 

42.   Inured.     Hardened,  accustomed.  —  Bide.    Endure.  —  Bout.    A  con- 
flict, contest. 


110  THE   LADY   OF   THE  LAKE.  canto  iv. 

To  the  lone  isle  hath  caused  repair 

Each  maid  and  matron  of  the  clan, 

And  every  child  and  aged  man 

Unfit  for  arms ;  and  given  his  charge,  50 

Nor  skiff,  nor  shallop,  boat  nor  barge, 

Upon  these  lakes  shall  float  at  large. 

But  all  beside  the  islet  moor. 

That  such  dear  pledge  may  rest  secure?"  — 


IV. 

"  'Tis  well  advised,  —  the  Chieftain's  plan  55 

Bespeaks  the  father  of  his  clan. 

But  wherefore  sleeps  Sir  Roderick  Dhu 

Apart  from  all  his  followers  true  ?  " 

"  It  is  because  last  evening-tide 

Brian  an  augury  hath  tried. 

Of  that  dread  kind  which  must  not  be 

Unless  in  dread  extremity. 

The  Taghairm  called ;  by  which,  afar. 

Our  sires  foresaw  the  events  of  war. 

Duncraggan's  milk-white  bull  they  slew 


60 


»5 


—  65 


60.  Augury.    The  foretelling  of  events ;  an  omen. 

63.  Taghairm.  The  Highlanders,  like  all  rude  people,  had  various 
superstitious  modes  of  inquiring  into  futurity.  One  of  the  most  noted  was  the 
Taghairm  mentioned  in  the  text.  A  person  was  wrapped  up  in  the  skin  of  a 
newly-slain  bullock,  and  deposited  beside  a  waterfall,  or  at  the  bottom  of 
a  precipice,  or  in  some  other  strange,  wild,  and  unusual  situation,  where 
the  scenery  around  him  suggested  nothing  but  objects  of  horror.  In  this 
situation  he  revolved  in  his  mind  the  question  proposed,  and  whatever 
was  impressed  upon  him  by  his  exalted  imagination  passed  for  the  inspira- 
tion of  the  disembodied  spirits  who  haunt  the  desolate  recesses.  —  Scott. 


CANTO  IV.  THE  PROPHECY.  Ill 

MALISE. 

'*  Ah !  well  the  gallant  brute  I  knew  ! 

The  choicest  of  the  prey  we  had 

When  swept  our  merrymen  Gallangad. 

His  hide  was  snow,  his  horns  were  dark, 

His  red  eye  glowed  like  fiery  spark ;  70 

So  fierce,  so  tameless,  and  so  fleet. 

Sore  did  he  cumber  our  retreat. 

And  kept  our  stoutest  kerns  in  awe. 

Even  at  the  pass  of  Beal  'maha. 

But  steep  and  flinty  was  the  road,  75 

And  sharp  the  hurrying  pikeman's  goad, 

And  when  we  came  to  Dennan's  Row 

A  child  might  scathless  stroke  his  brow." 

V. 

NORMAN. 

"  That  bull  was  slain ;  his  reeking  hide 

They  stretched  the  cataract  beside,  80 

Whose  waters  their  wild  tumult  toss 

Adown  the  black  and  craggy  boss 

Of  that  huge  cliff  whose  ample  verge 

Tradition  calls  the  Hero's  Targe. 

Couched  on  a  shelf  beneath  its  brink,  85 

Close  where  the  thundering  torrents  sink, 

73.  Kerns.    Foot-soldiers  of  the  lowest  rank. 

74.  Beal  'maha.   "  The  pass  of  the  plain,"  on  the  east  of  Loch  Lomond. 

77.  Dennan's  Row.    A  starting-place  for  ascending  Ben  Lomond. 

78.  Scathless.    Without  harm. 
82.   Boss.     A  protuherance. 

84.  Hero's  Targe.    The  name  of  a  rock  in  the  Forest  of  Glenfinlas  by 
which  a  noisy  cataract  rims. 


112  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  iv. 

Rocking  beneath  their  headlong  sway, 

And  drizzled  by  the  ceaseless  spray, 

'Midst  groan  of  rock  and  roar  of  stream, 

The  wizard  waits  prophetic  dream.  90 

Nor  distant  rests  the  Chief ;  —  but  hush ! 

See,  gliding  slow  through  mist  and  bush, 

The  hermit  gains  yon  rock,  and  stands 

To  gaze  upon  our  slumbering  bands. 

Seems  he  not,  Malise,  like  a  ghost,  95 

That  hovers  o'er  a  slaughtered  host  ? 

Or  raven  on  the  blasted  oak. 

That,  watching  while  the  deer  is  broke, 

His  morsel  claims  with  sullen  croak  ?  " 

MALISE. 

"  Peace  !    peace  !    to  other  than  to  me  lOO 

Thy  words  were  evil  augury ; 

But  still  I  hold  Sir  Roderick's  blade. 

Clan- Alpine's  omen  and  her  aid. 

Not  aught  that,  gleaned  from  heaven  or  hell. 

Yon  fiend-begotten  Monk  can  tell.  los 

The  Chieftain  joins  liim,  see  —  and  now 

Together  they  descend  the  brow." 

YI. 

And,  as  they  came,  with  Alpine's  Lord 
The  Hermit  Monk  held  solemn  word  :  — 

98.  Broke.  Quartered.  Everything  belonging  to  the  chase  was  mat- 
ter of  solemnity  among  our  ancestors;  but  nothing  was  more  so  than 
the  mode  of  cutting  up,  or,  as  it  was  technically  called,  breaking  the 
slaughtered  stag.  The  forester  had  his  allotted  portion ;  the  hounds  had 
a  certain  allowance;  and,  to  make  the  division  as  general  as  possible,  the 
very  birds  had  their  share  also.  —  Scott. 

103.  Omen.    Sign  of  good  or  evil;  foreboding. 


CANTO  IV.  THE   PROPHECY.  113 

"  Roderick  !    it  is  a  fearful  strife,  no 

For  man  enclowecl  with  mortal  life, 

Whose  shroud  of  sentient  clay  can  still 

Feel  feverish  pang  and  fainting  chill. 

Whose  eye  can  stare  in  stony  trance. 

Whose  hair  can  rouse  like  warrior's  lance,  —        ii5 

'Tis  hard  for  such  to  view,  unfurled. 

The  curtain  of  the  future  world. 

Yet,  witness  every  quaking  limb. 

My  sunken  pulse,  mine  eyeballs  dim, 

My  soul  with  harrowing  anguish  torn,  120 

This  for  my  Chieftain  have  I  borne !  — 

The  shapes  that  sought  my  fearful  couch 

A  human  tongue  may  ne'er  avouch ; 

No  mortal  man  —  save  he,  wdio,  bred 

Between  the  living  and  the  dead,  125 

Is  gifted  beyond  nature's  law  — 

Had  e'er  survived  to  say  he  saw. 

At  length  the  fateful  answer  came 

In  characters  of  living  flame  ! 

Not  spoke  in  word,  nor  blazed  in  scroll,  130 

But  borne  and  branded  on  my  soul:  — 

Which  spills  the  foremost  foeman's  life, 

That  party  conquers  ik  the  strife." 


<^. 


112.  Sentient.    Having  sensation  or  feeling;  conscious. 

114.   Trance.    A  state  of  insensibility  to  the  things  of  this  world. 

123.   Avouch.     Affirm. 

130.  Blazed.  Displayed;  published. —  Scroll.  A  roll  of  paper  or 
parchment  usually  containing  some  writing. 

133.  That  party  conquers  in  the  strife.  Though  this  be  in  the  text 
described  as  a  response  of  the  Tagahirm,  or  Oracle  of  the  Hide,  it  was 
of  itself  an  augury  frequently  attended  to.  The  fate  of  the  battle  was 
often  anticipated  in  the  imagination  of  the  combatants,  by  observing 
which  party  first  shed  blood.     It  is  said  that  the  Highlanders  under 


114  THE   LADY   OF  THE   LAKE.  canto  iv. 

VII. 

"  Thanks,  Brian,  for  thy  zeal  and  care ! 

Good  is  thine  augury,  and  fair.  135 

Clan-Alpine  ne'er  in  battle  stood 

But  first  our  broadswords  tasted  blood. 

A  surer  victim  still  I  know, 

Self-offered  to  the  auspicious  blow : 

A  spy  has  sought  my  land  this  morn,  —  140 

No  eve  shall  witness  his  return  I 

My  followers  guard  each  pass's  mouth, 

To  east,  to  westward,  and  to  south ; 

Red  Murdoch,  bribed  to  be  his  guide. 

Has  charge  to  lead  his  steps  aside,  145 

Till  in  deep  path  or  dingle  brown 

He  light  on  those  shall  bring  him  down. — 

But  see,  who  comes  his  news  to  show ! 

Malise  !  what  tidings  of  the  foe  ?  " 


~-  VIII. 

"  At  Doune,  o'er  many  a  spear  and  glaive  150 

Two  Barons  proud  their  banners  wave. 

I  saw  the  Moray's  silver  star, 

And  marked  the  sable  -pale  of  Mar." 

Montrose  were  so  deeply  imbued  with  this  notion,  that,  on  the  morning  of 
the  battle  of  Tippermoor,  they  murdered  a  defenceless  herdsman,  whom 
they  found  in  the  fields,  merely  to  secure  an  advantage  of  so  much  con- 
sequence to  their  party.  —  Scott. 

139.   Auspicious.    Of  good  omen ;  fortunate. 

150.   Glaive.     A  broadsword. 

152-53.  Moray's  silver  star  .  .  .  sable  pale  of  Mar.  The  Earls  of  Moray 
and  Mar  were  supporters  of  the  King.  The  shield  or  banner  of  the  one 
bore  a  star,  the  other  a  black  band  going  perpendicularly  down  the  centre 
of  the  shield,  called  a  pale. 


CANTO    IV. 


THE   PROPHECY.  115 


"  By  Alpine's  soul,  high  tidings  those  ! 
I  love  to  hear  of  worthy  foes.  155 

When  move  the}^  on  ?  "     "  To-morrow's  noon 
Will  see  them  here  for  battle  boune." 
"  Then  shall  it  see  a  meeting  stern ! 
But,  for  the  place,  say,  —  couldst  thou  learn 
Nought  of  the  friendly  clans  of  Earn  ?  160 

Strengthened  by  them,  Ave  well  might  bide 
The  battle  on  Benledi's  side. 
Thou  couldst  not  ?  —  well !    Clan-Alpine's  men 
Shall  man  the  Trosachs'  shaggy  glen ; 
Within  Loch  Katrine's  gorge  we'll  fight,  165 

All  in  our  maids'  and  matrons'  sight, 
Each  for  his  hearth  and  household  fire. 
Father  for  child,  and  son  for  sire. 
Lover  for  maid  beloved !  —  But  why  — 
Is  it  the  breeze  affects  mine  eye  ?  170 

Or  dost  thou  come,  ill-omened  tear ! 
A  messenger  of  doubt  or  fear  ? 
No  I    sooner  may  the  Saxon  lance 
Unfix  Benledi  from  his  stance. 
Than  doubt  or  terror  can  pierce  through  175 

The  unyielding  heart  of  Roderick  Dhu ! 
-^•'Tis  stubborn  as  his  trusty  targe. 

Each  to  his  post!  —  all  know  their  charge." 

The  pibroch  sounds,  the  bands  advance. 

The  broadswords  gleam,  the  banners  dance,  180 

Obedient  to  the  Chieftain's  glance.  — 

1  turn  me  from  the  martial  roar, 

And  seek  Coir-Uriskin  once  more. 

IGO.   Earn.     District  about  Loch  Earn. 
174.   Stance.     Station;  foundation. 


116  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  iv. 

IX. 

Where  is  the  Douglas?  —  he  is  gone ; 

And  Ellen  sits  on  the  gray  stone  185 

Fast  by  the  cave,  and  makes  her  moan, 

While  vainly  Allan's  words  of  cheer 

Are  poured  on  her  unheeding  ear. 

"  He  will  return  —  dear  lady,  trust !  — 

With  joy  return  ;  —  he  will  —  he  must.  190 

Well  was  it  time  to  seek  afar 

Some  refuge  from  impending  war. 

When  e'en  Clan  Alpine's  rugged  swarm 

Are  cowed  by  the  approaching  storm. 

I  saw  their  boats  with  many  a  light,  195 

Floating  the  livelong  yesternight, 

Shifting  like  flashes  darted  forth 

By  the  red  streamers  of  the  north ; 

I  marked  at  morn  how  close  they  ride. 

Thick  moored  by  the  lone  islet's  side,  200 

Like  wild  ducks  couching  in  the  fen 

When  stoops  the  hawk  upon  the  glen. 

Since  this  rude  race  dare  not  abide 

The  peril  on  the  mainland  side, 

Shall  not  thy  noble  father's  care  205 

Some  safe  retreat  for  thee  prepare  ?  " 

X. 

ELLEK. 

"  No,  Allan,  no  !     Pretext  so  kind 
My  wakeful  terrors  could  not  blind. 

198.  Red  streamers  of  the  North.    Aurora  Borealis,  or  northern  lights. 
201.  Fen.    Marsh. 


CANTO  IV.  THE   PROPHECY.  117 

When  in  such  tender  tone,  yet  grave, 

Douglas  a  parting  blessing  gave,  210 

The  tear  that  glistened  in  his  eye 

Drowned  not  his  purpose  fixed  and  high. 

My  soul,  thougli  feminine  and  weak. 

Can  image  his ;  e'en  as  the  lake, 

Itself  disturbed  by  slightest  stroke,  215 

Reflects  the  invulnerable  rock. 

He  hears  report  of  battle  rife. 

He  deems  liimself  the  cause  of  strife. 

I  saw  him  redden  when  the  theme 

Turned,  Allan,  on  thine  idle  dream  220 

Of  Malcolm  Grseme  in  fetters  bound. 

Which  I,  thou  saidst,  about  him  wound. 

Think'st  thou  he  trowed  thine  omen  aught? 

O  no  !   'twas  apprehensive  thought 

For  the  kind  youth,  —  for  Roderick  too  —  225 

Let  me  be  just —  that  friend  so  true  ; 

In  danger  both,  and  in  our  cause ! 

Mhistrel,  the  Douglas  dare  not  pause. 

Why  else  that  solemn  warning  given, 

"  If  not  on  earth,  we  meet  in  heaven  !  "  230 

Why  else,  to  Cambus-kenneth's  fane, 

If  eve  return  him  not  again. 

Am  I  to  hie  and  make  me  known  ? 

Alas  !    he  goes  to  Scotland's  throne. 

Buys  his  friends'  safety  with  his  own ;  235 

He  goes  to  do  —  what  I  had  done. 

Had  Douglas'  daughter  been  his  son  !  " 

210.   Invulnerable.  That  cannot  be  injured:  enduring.  —  217.  Eife.  Pre- 
vailing. —  22o.  Trowed.  Believed. — 224.  Apprehensive.   Fearful  of  danger. 
231.    Cambus-kenneth's  fane.    An  abbey  near  Stirling. 


118  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE. 


XI. 


CANTO    IV, 


"  Nay,  lovely  Ellen  !  —  dearest,  nay  ! 

If  aught  should  his  return  delay. 

He  only  named  yon  holy  fane  240 

As  fitting  place  to  meet  again. 

Be  sure  he's  safe ;  and  for  the  Graeme,  — 

Heaven's  blessing  on  his  gallant  name  !  — 

My  visioned  sight  may  yet  prove  true. 

Nor  bode  of  ill  to  him  or  you.  245 

When  did  my  gifted  dream  beguile  ? 

Think  of  the  stranger  at  the  isle. 

And  think  upon  the  harpings  slow 

That  presaged  this  approaching  woe ! 

Sooth  was  my  prophecy  of  fear ;  250 

Believe  it  when  it  augurs  cheer. 

Would  he  had  left  this  dismal  spot ! 

Ill  luck  still  haunts  a  fairy  grot. 

Of  such  a  wondrous  tale  I  know  — 

Dear  lady,  change  that  look  of  woe,  255 

My  harp  was  wont  thy  grief  to  cheer." 


ELLEN. 

"  Well,  be  it  as  thou  wilt ;  I  hear. 

But  cannot  stop  the  bursting  tear." 

The  Minstrel  tried  his  simple  art. 

But  distant  far  was  Ellen's  heart.  26O 

246.  Beguile.    Deceive. —249.  Presaged.    Predicted ;  prophesied. 
253.  Grot.    Grotto;  secluded  place. 


CANTO    IV 


THE    PROPHECY.  119 


xn. 

ALICE   BRAND. 

Merry  it  is  in  the  good  greenwood, 

When  the  mavis  and  merle  are  singing, 

When  the  deer  sweeps  by,  and  the  hounds  are  in  cry, 
And  the  hunter's  horn  is  ringing. 

"  O  Alice  Brand,  my  native  land  265 

Is  lost  for  love  of  you; 
And  we  must  hold  by  wood  and  wold, 

As  outlaws  wont  to  do. 

"  O  Alice,  'twas  all  for  thy  locks  so  bright. 

And  'twas  all  for  thine  eyes  so  blue,  270 

That  on  the  night  of  our  luckless  flight 
Thy  brother  bold  I  slew. 

"  Now  must  I  teach  to  hew  the  beech 

The  hand  that  held  the  glaive. 
For  leaves  to  spread  our  lowly  bed,  276 

And  stakes  to  fence  our  cave. 

"  And  for  vest  of  pall,  thy  fingers  small. 

That  wont  on  harp  to  stray, 
A  cloak  must  shear  from  the  slaughtered  deer. 

To  keep  the  cold  away."  280 

"  O  Richard  !  if  my  brother  died, 
'Twas  but  a  fatal  chance  ; 

262.  Mavis.  Thrush. —Merle.     Blackbird. 

267.  Wold.     Open  grassy  country. 

277.   Vest  of  pall.     An  outer  garment  of  rich  material. 


120  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  iv. 

For  darkling  was  the  battle  tried, 
And  fortune  sped  the  lance. 

"  If  pall  and  vair  no  more  I  wear,  285 

Nor  thou  the  crimson  sheen, 
As  warm,  we'll  say,  is  the  russet  gray, 

As  gay  the  forest-green. 

"  And,  Richard,  if  our  lot  be  hard, 

And  lost  thy  native  land,  290 

Still  Alice  has  her  own  Richard, 

And  he  his  Alice  Brand." 

XIII. 

^allnb  Conthm^b'. 
'Tis  merry,  'tis  merry,  in  good  greenwood ; 

So  blithe  Lady  Alice  is  singing ; 
On  the  beech's  pride,  and  oak's  brown  side,  295 

Lord  Richard's  axe  is  ringing. 

Up  spoke  the  moody  Elfin  King, 

Who  woned  within  the  hill,  — 
Like  wind  in  the  porch  of  a  ruined  church, 

His  voice  was  ghostly  shrill.  300 

"  Why  sounds  yon  stroke  on  beech  and  oak, 

Our  moonlight  circle's  screen? 
Or  who  comes  here  to  chase  the  deer. 

Beloved  of  our  Elfin  Queen  ? 

283.  Darkling.  In  the  dark.— 285.  Vair.  The  fur  of  a  small,  bluish- 
gray  animal  resembling  a  polecat.  Such  furs  were  only  worn  by  ladies  of 
rank.    Yonge.  —  298.   Woned.     Dwelt. 

304.  Elfin  Queen.  Fairies,  if  not  positively  malevolent,  are  capricious 
and  easily  offended.  They  are,  like  other  proprietors  of  forests,  peculiarly 
jealous  of  their  rights  of  vert  and  venison.    Scott. 


CANTO  IV.  THE   PROPHECY.  121 

Or  who  may  dare  on  wold  to  wear  305 

The  fairies'  fatal  green  ? 

"  Up,  Urgan,  up  !  to  yon  mortal  hie, 

For  thou  wert  christened  man  ; 
For  cross  or  sign  thou  wilt  not  fly. 

For  muttered  word  or  ban.  310 

"  Lay  on  him  the  curse  of  the  withered  heart, 

The  curse  of  the  sleepless  eye  ; 
Till  he  wish  and  pray  that  his  life  would  part, 

Nor  yet  find  leave  to  die." 

XIV. 

^allab  Conlinucb. 
'Tis  merry,  'tis  merry,  in  good  greenwood,  3i5 

Though  the  birds  have  stilled  their  singing ; 
The  evening  blaze  doth  Alice  raise. 

And  Richard  is  fagots  bringing. 

Up  Urgan  starts,  that  hideous  dwarf. 

Before  Lord  Richard  stands,  320 

And,  as  he  crossed  and  blessed  himself, 
^'  I  fear  not  sign,"  quoth  the  grizzly  elf, 

"  That  is  made  with  bloody  hands." 

But  out  then  spoke  she,  Alice  Brand, 

That  woman  void  of  fear,  —  325 

"  And  if  there's  blood  upon  his  hand, 
'Tis  but  the  blood  of  deer." 

306.  Fatal  green.  As  the  Daoine  Shi',  or  Men  of  Peace,  wore  green 
habits,  they  were  supposed  to  take  offence  when  any  mortals  ventured  to 
assume  their  favorite  color.  Indeed,  from  some  reason,  which  has  been, 
perhaps,  originally  a  general  superstitiou,  r/ree/i  is  held  in  Scotland  to  be 
unlucky  to  particular  tribes  and  counties.  —  Scott. 


122  THE   LADY   OF   THE    LAKE.  canto  iv. 

"  Now  loud  thou  liest,  thou  bold  of  mood ! 

It  cleaves  unto  his  hand, 
The  stain  of  thine  own  kindly  blood,  330 

The  blood  of  Ethert  Brand." 

Then  forward  stepped  she,  Alice  Brand, 

And  made  the  holy  sign,  — 
"  And  if  there's  blood  on  Richard's  hand, 

A  spotless  hand  is  mine.  335 

"  And  I  conjure  thee,  demon  elf. 

By  Him  whom  demons  fear, 
To  show  us  whence  thou  art  thyself, 

And  what  thine  errand  here  ?  " 

XV. 

^allab  Cotttinuebf. 
"  'Tis  merry,  'tis  merry,  in  Fairy-land,  340 

When  fairy  birds  are  singing, 
When  the  court  doth  ride  by  their  monarch's  side. 

With  bit  and  bridle  ringing  : 

'*  And  gayly  shines  the  Fairy-land  — 

But  all  is  glistening  show,  345 

Like  the  idle  gleam  that  December's  beam 

Can  dart  on  ice  and  snow. 

"  And  fading,  like  that  varied  gleam. 

Is  our  inconstant  shape. 
Who  now  like  knight  and  lady  seem,  350 

And  now  like  dwarf  and  ape. 

330.  Kindly.     Kindred.  —  33(5.   Conjure.     Implore. 
349.   Inconstant.     Changeable. 


CANTO    IV. 


THE   PROPHECY.  123 


"  It  was  between  the  night  and  day, 

When  the  Fairy  King  has  power, 
That  I  sunk  down  in  a  sinful  fray, 
And  'twixt  life  and  death  was  snatched  away  355 

To  the  joyless  Elfin  bower. 

"  But  wist  I  of  a  woman  bold, 

Who  thrice  my  brow  durst  sign, 
I  might  regain  my  mortal  mould. 

As  fair  a  form  as  thine."  360 

She  crossed  him  once  —  she  crossed  him  twice  — 

That  lady  was  so  brave  ; 
The  fouler  grew  his  goblin  hue. 

The  darker  grew  the  cave. 

She  crossed  him  thrice,  that  lady  bold ;  365 

He  rose  beneath  her  hand 
The  fairest  knight  on  Scottish  mould. 

Her  brother,  Ethert  Brand  ! 

Merry  it  is  in  good  greenwood, 

When  the  mavis  and  merle  are  singing,  370 

But  merrier  were  they  in  Dunfermline  gray, 

When  all  the  bells  were  ringing. 

XVI. 

Just  as  the  minstrel  sounds  were  stayed, 

A  stranger  climbed  the  steepy  glade ; 

His  martial  step,  his  stately  mien,  375 

His  hunting-suit  of  Lincoln  green, 

357.   Wist.    Knew.  — 359.   Mould.     Form.  — 367.   Mould.   Soil. 
371.   Dunfermline.     A  town  on  the  Firth  of  Forth;  the  seat  of  an  ex- 
tensive abbey,  and  the  residence  of  the  kings  of  Scotland  in  early  times. 


124  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  iv. 

His  eagle  glance,  remembrance  claims  — 

'Tis  Snowdoun's  Knight,  'tis  James  Fitz-James. 

Ellen  beheld  as  in  a  dream. 

Then,  starting,  scarce  suppressed  a  scream :      380 

"  O  stranger !  in  such  hour  of  fear 

What  evil  hap  has  brought  thee  here  ?  " 

"  An  evil  hap  how  can  it  be 

That  bids  me  look  again  on  thee  ? 

By  promise  bound,  my  former  guide  385 

Met  me  betimes  this  morning-tide, 

And  marshalled  over  bank  and  bourne 

The  happy  path  of  my  return." 

"  The  happy  path !  —  what !  said  he  naught 

Of  war,  of  battle  to  be  fought,  390 

Of  guarded  pass  ?  "    "  No,  by  my  faith ! 

Nor  saw  I  aught  could  augur  scathe." 

"  O  haste  thee,  Allan,  to  the  kern : 

Yonder  his  tartans  I  discern ; 

Learn  thou  his  purpose,  and  conjure  395 

That  he  will  guide  the  stranger  sure  !  — 

What  prompted  thee,  unhappy  man? 

The  meanest  serf  in  Roderick's  clan 

Had  not  been  bribed,  by  love  or  fear. 

Unknown  to  him  to  guide  thee  here."  400 

XVII. 

"  Sweet  Ellen,  dear  my  life  must  be, 

Since  it  is  worthy  care  from  thee  ; 

Yet  life  I  hold  but  idle  breath 

When  love  or  honor's  weighed  with  death. 

386.  Betimes.    Early. —  387.  Bourne.     Stream. 

392.   Augur  scathe.     Predict  injury.  — 398.   Serf.     Slave. 


CANTO  IV.  THE   PROPHECY.  125 

Then  let  me  profit  by  my  chance,  405 

And  speak  my  purpose  bokl  at  once. 

I  come  to  bear  thee  from  a  wild 

Where  ne'er  before  such  blossom  smiled, 

By  this  soft  hand  to  lead  thee  far 

From  frantic  scenes  of  feud  and  war.  410 

Near  Bochastle  my  horses  wait ; 

They  bear  us  soon  to  Stirling  gate. 

I'll  place  thee  in  a  lovely  bower, 

I'll  guard  thee  like  a  tender  flower  —  " 

"  O  hush.  Sir  Knight !  'twere  female  art,  415 

To  say  I  do  not  read  thy  heart ; 

Too  much,  before,  my  selfish  ear 

Was  idly  soothed  my  praise  to  hear. 

That  fatal  bait  hath  lured  thee  back. 

In  deathful  hour  o'er  dangerous  track ;  420 

And  how,  O  how,  can  I  atone 

The  wreck  my  vanity  brought  on  !  — 

One  way  remains  —  I'll  tell  him  all  — 

Yes  !  struggling  bosom,  forth  it  shall ! 

Thou,  whose  light  folly  bears  the  blame,  425 

Buy  thine  own  pardon  with  thy  shame ! 

But  first  —  my  father  is  a  man 

Outlawed  and  exiled,  under  ban ; 

The  price  of  blood  is  on  his  head, 

With  me  'twere  infamy  to  wed.  430 

Still  wouldst  thou  speak  ?  —  then  hear  the  truth  ! 

Fitz-James,  there  is  a  noble  youth  — 

If  yet  he  is  !  —  exposed  for  me 

And  mine  to  dread  extremity  — 

410.  Feud.    A  deadly  strife  between  clans. 


126  THE   LADY   OF  THE   LAKE.  canto  iv. 

Thou  hast  the  secret  of  my  heart ;  ^35 

Forgive,  be  generous,  and  depart !  " 

XVIII. 

Fitz-James  knew  every  wily  train 

A  lady's  fickle  heart  to  gain, 

But  here  he  knew  and  felt  them  vain. 

There  shot  no  glance  from  Ellen's  eye,  440 

To  give  her  steadfast  sj^eech  the  lie ; 

In  maiden  confidence  she  stood, 

Though  mantled  in  her  cheek  the  blood, 

And  told  her  love  with  such  a  sigh 

Of  deep  and  hopeless  agony,  445 

As  death  had  sealed  her  Malcolm's  doom 

And  she  sat  sorrowing  on  his  tomb. 

Hope  vanished  from  Fitz- James's  eye. 

But  not  with  hope  fled  sympathy. 

He  proffered  to  attend  her  side,  450 

As  brother  would  a  sister  guide. 

"O  little  know'st  thou  Roderick's  heart! 

Safer  for  both  we  go  apart. 

O  haste  thee,  and  from  Allan  learn 

If  thou  mayst  trust  yon  wily  kern."  455 

With  hand  upon  his  forehead  laid, 

The  conflict  of  his  mind  to  shade, 

A  parting  step  or  two  he  made ; 

Then,  as  some  thought  had  crossed  his  brain. 

He  paused,  and  turned,  and  came  again.  460 

437.  Train.    Persuasion  or  enticement. 
455.  Wily.    Artful,  sly. 


CANTO  IV.  THE   PROPHECY.  127 

XIX. 

"  Hear,  lady,  yet  a  parting  word  !  — 

It  chanced  in  fight  that  my  poor  sword 

Preserved  the  life  of  Scotland's  lord. 

This  ring  the  grateful  Monarch  gave. 

And  bade,  when  I  had  boon  to  crave,  465 

To  bring  it  back,  and  boldly  claim 

The  recompense  that  I  would  name. 

Ellen,  I  am  no  courtly  lord, 

But  one  who  lives  by  lance  and  sword, 

Whose  castle  is  his  helm  and  shield,  470 

His  lordship  the  embattled  field. 

What  from  a  prince  can  I  demand, 

Who  neither  reck  of  state  nor  land  ? 

Ellen,  thy  hand  — the  ring  is  thine ; 

Each  guard  and  usher  knows  the  sign.  475 

Seek  thou  the  King  without  delay ; 

This  signet  shall  secure  thy  way : 

And  claim  thy  suit,  whate'er  it  be, 

As  ransom  of  his  pledge  to  me." 

He  placed  the  golden  circlet  on,  480 

Paused  —  kissed  her  hand  —  and  then  was  gone. 

The  aged  Minstrel  stood  aghast, 

So  hastily  Fitz-James  shot  past. 

He  joined  his  guide,  and  wending  down 

The  ridges  of  the  mountain  brown,  485 

Across  the  stream  they  took  their  way 

That  joins  Loch  Katrine  to  Achray. 

4C5.  Boon  to  Crave.    Favor  to  ask. 

470.  Helm.     Helmet;  defensive  armor  for  the  head. 

471.  Hi^lordship  the  embattled  field.    His  estate  the  battle-field. 
473.  Keck  of.     Mind  or  care  for.  —477.   Signet.     Seal  in  the  ring. 


128  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE.       canto  iv. 

XX. 

All  in  the  Trosachs'  glen  was  still, 

Noontide  was  sleeping  on  the  hill : 

Sudden  liis  guide  whooped  loud  and  high  —     490 

"  Murdoch  !  was  that  a  signal  cry  ?  "  — 

He  stammered  forth,  "  I  shout  to  scare 

Yon  raven  from  his  dainty  fare." 

He  looked  —  he  knew  the  raven's  prey, 

His  own  brave  steed  :  "  Ah  !  gallant  gray  !       495 

For  thee  —  for  me,  perchance  —  'twere  well 

We  ne'er  had  seen  the  Trosachs'  dell.  — 

Murdoch,  move  first  —  but  silently  ; 

Whistle  or  whoop,  and  thou  shalt  die  I " 

Jealous  and  sullen  on  they  fared,  500 

Each  silent,  each  upon  his  guard. 

XXI. 

Now  wound  the  path  its  dizzy  ledge 

Around  a  precipice's  edge. 

When  lo  !  a  wasted  female  form. 

Blighted  by  wrath  of  sun  and  storm,  505 

In  tattered  weeds  and  wild  array, 

Stood  on  a  cliff  beside  the  way, 

And  glancing  round  her  restless  eye. 

Upon  the  wood,  the  rock,  the  sky. 

Seemed  naught  to  mark,  yet  all  to  spy.  5io 

Her  brow  was  wreathed  with  gaudy  broom ; 

With  gesture  wild  she  waved  a  plume 

Of  feathers,  which  the  eagles  fling 

To  crag  and  cliff  from  dusky  wing 

500.  Fared.    Journeyed.  — 506.  Weeds.    Dress. 


CANTO  IV.  THE   PROPHECY.  129 

Such  spoils  her  desperate  step  had  sought,  515 

Where  scarce  was  footing  for  the  goat. 

The  tartan  plaid  she  first  descried, 

And  shrieked  till  all  the  rocks  replied ; 

As  loud  she  laughed  when  near  they  drew. 

For  then  the  Lowland  garb  she  knew ;  520 

And  then  her  hands  she  wildly  wrung, 

And  then  she  wept,  and  then  she  sung  — 

She  sung  I  —  the  voice,  in  better  time. 

Perchance  to  harp  or  lute  might  chime ; 

And  now,  though  strained  and  roughened,  still     525 

Rung  wildly  sweet  to  dale  and  hill. 

XXII. 

They  bid  me  sleep,  they  bid  me  pray, 

They  say  my  brain  is  warped  and  wrung,  — 

I  cannot  sleep  on  Highland  brae, 

I  cannot  pray  in  Highland  tongue.  530 

But  were  I  now  where  Allan  glides, 

Or  heard  my  native  Devan's  tides. 

So  sweetly  would  I  rest,  and  pray 

That  heaven  would  close  my  wintry  day ! 

'Twas  thus  my  hair  they  bade  me  braid,  535 

They  made  me  to  the  church  repair ; 

It  was  my  bridal  morn  they  said, 

And  my  true  love  would  meet  me  there. 

But  woe  betide  the  cruel  guile 

That  drowned  in  blood  the  morning  smile  !  540 

531-532.   Allan,  Devan.     Small  streams  tributary  to  the  Forth. 
539.   Guile.    Deceit. 


130  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  iv. 


And  woe  betide  the  fairy  dream ! 
I  only  waked  to  sob  and  scream. 


xxin. 

"  Who  is  this  maid  ?   what  means  her  lay  ? 

She  hovers  o'er  the  hollow  way, 

And  flutters  wide  her  mantle  gray,  545 

As  the  lone  heron  spreads  his  wing. 

By  twilight,  o'er  a  haunted  spring," 

"  'Tis  Blanche  of  Devan,"  Murdoch  said, 

"  A  crazed  and  captive  Lowland  maid, 

Ta'en  on  the  morn  she  was  a  bride,  550 

When  Roderick  forayed  De van-side. 

The  gay  bridegroom  resistance  made, 

And  felt  our  Chief's  unconquered  blade. 

I  marvel  she  is  now  at  large, 

But  oft  she  'scapes  from  Maudlin's  charge.  —      555 

Hence,  brain-sick  fool !  "  —  He  raised  his  bow  :  — 

"  Now,  if  thou  strik'st  her  but  one  blow, 

I'll  pitch  thee  from  the  cliff  as  far 

As  ever  peasant  pitched  a  bar  !  " 

"  Thanks,  champion,  thanks  I  "  the  Maniac  cried,   560 

And  pressed  her  to  Fitz-James's  side. 

"  See  the  graj^  pennons  I  prepare. 

To  seek  my  true  love  through  the  air ! 

I  will  not  lend  that  savage  groom. 

To  break  his  fall,  one  downy  plume !  565 

No  !  —  deep  amid  disjointed  stones. 

The  wolves  shall  batten  on  his  bones, 

551.  For'ayed.    Plundered. 

562.  Pennons.    Lar2:e  wing-feathers. —567.  Batten,    Fatten. 


CAXTO  IV.  THE    PROPHECY.  131 

And  then  shall  his  detested  plaid, 

By  bush  and  brier  in  mid-air  stayed, 

Wave  forth  a  banner  fair  and  free,  570 

Meet  signal  for  their  revelry." 

XXIY. 

"  Hush  thee,  poor  maiden,  and  be  still !  " 

"  O  !    thou  look'st  kindly,  and  I  will. 

Mine  eye  has  dried  and  wasted  been. 

But  still  it  loves  the  Lincoln  green ;  575 

And,  though  mine  ear  is  all  unstrung, 

Still,  still  it  loves  the  Lowland  tongue. 

"  For  O  my  sweet  William  was  forester  true. 
He  stole  poor  Blanche's  heart  away ! 

His  coat  it  was  all  of  the  greenwood  hue,  580 

And  so  blithely  he  trilled  the  Lowland  lay ! 

"  It  was  not  that  I  meant  to  tell  .  .  . 

But  thou  art  wise  and  guessest  well." 

Then,  in  a  low  and  broken  tone. 

And  hurried  note,  the  song  went  on.  585 

Still  on  the  Clansman  fearfully 

She  fixed  her  apprehensive  eye. 

Then  turned  it  on  the  Knight,  and  then 

Her  look  glanced  wildly  o'er  the  glen. 

XXV. 

"  The  toils  are  pitched,  and  the  stakes  are  set,  —  soo 
Ever  sing  merrily,  merrily  ; 

578.   0  my  sweet  William.     The  sight  of  the  Lincoln  green  reminds 
Blanche  of  her  husband,  and  she  is  led  to  warn  the  stranger  of  his  peril. 
590.   Toils.     Xets,  snares. 


132  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  iv. 

The  bows  they  bend,  and  the  knives  they  whet, 
Hunters  live  so  cheerily. 

"  It  was  a  stag,  a  stag  of  ten, 

Bearing  its  branches  sturdily ;  595 

He  came  stately  down  the  glen,  — 

Ever  sing  hardily,  hardily. 

"  It  was  there  he  met  with  a  wounded  doe, 

She  was  bleeding  deathfully ; 
She  warned  him  of  the  toils  below,  600 

O,  so  faithfully,  faithfully ! 

"  He  had  an  eye,  and  he  could  heed,  — 

Ever  sing  warily,  warily ; 
He  had  a  foot,  and  he  could  speed,  — 

Hunters  watch  so  narrowly."  605 

XXVI. 

Fitz-James's  mind  was  passion-tossed, 

When  Ellen's  hints  and  fears  were  lost ; 

But  Murdoch's  shout  suspicion  wrought, 

And  Blanche's  song  conviction  brought. 

Not  like  a  stag  that  spies  the  snare,  eio 

But  lion  of  the  hunt  aware. 

He  waved  at  once  his  blade  on  high, 

"  Disclose  thy  treachery,  or  die  !  " 

Forth  at  full  speed  the  Clansman  flew, 

But  in  his  race  his  bow  he  drew.  6i5 

593.  Hunters  live  so  cheerily,  etc.    The  hunters  are  Clan- Alpine's 
men;  the  stag  of  ten  is  Fitz- James;  the  wounded  doe  is  Blanche  herself. 

594.  Stag  of  ten.     Stag  having  ten  branches  on  his  horns. 
603.  Warily.    Cautiously.  — G08.   Wrought.     Worked;  caused. 


CANTO  IV.  THE   PROPHECY.  133 

The  shaft  just  grazed  Fitz-James's  crest, 

And  thrilled  in  Blanche's  faded  breast.  — 

Murdoch  of  Alpine  !   prove  thy  speed, 

For  ne'er  had  Alpine's  son  such  need ; 

With  heart  of  fire,  and  foot  of  wind,  620 

The  fierce  avenger  is  behind  ! 

Fate  judges  of  the  rapid  strife  — 

The  forfeit  death  —  the  prize  is  life ; 

Thy  kindred  ambush  lies  before, 

Close  couched  upon  the  heathery  moor ;  625 

Them  couldst  thou  reach  !  —  it  may  not  be  — 

Thine  ambushed  kin  thou  ne'er  shalt  see. 

The  fiery  Saxon  gains  on  thee  I  — 

Resistless  speeds  the  deadly  thrust, 

As  lightning  strikes  the  pine  to  dust ;  630 

With  foot  and  hand  Fitz-James  must  strain 

Ere  he  can  win  his  blade  again. 

Bent  o'er  the  fallen  with  falcon  eye. 

He  grimly  smiled  to  see  him  die, 

Then  slower  wended  back  his  way,  635 

Where  the  poor  maiden  bleeding  lay. 

xxvn. 

She  sat  beneath  the  birchen  tree. 

Her  elbow  resting  on  her  knee  ; 

She  had  withdrawn  the  fatal  shaft, 

And  gazed  on  it,  and  feebly  laughed  ;  640 

Her  wreath  of  broom  and  feathers  gray. 

Daggled  with  blood,  beside  her  lay. 

623,   Forfeit.     Penalty;  fine. — G24.   Ambush.     Armed  men  lyiug  cou- 
cealod.  —  042.  Daggled.     Spattered. 


134  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  iv. 

The  Knight  to  stanch  the  life-stream  tried,  — 

"  Stranger,  it  is  in  vain  !  "  she  cried. 

"  This  hour  of  death  has  given  me  more  645 

Of  reason's  power  than  years  before  ; 

For,  as  these  ebbing  veins  decay, 

My  frenzied  visions  fade  away. 

A  helpless  injured  wretch  I  die, 

And  something  tells  me  in  thine  eye  650 

That  thou  wert  mine  avenger  born. 

Seest  thou  this  tress? —  O,  still  I've  worn 

This  little  tress  of  yellow  hair. 

Through  danger,  frenzy,  and  despair ! 

It  once  was  bright  and  clear  as  thine,  655 

But  blood  and  tears  have  dimmed  its  shine. 

I  will  not  tell  thee  when  'twas  shred, 

Nor  from  what  guiltless  victim's  head,  — 

My  brain  would  turn  !  —  but  it  shall  wave 

Like  plumage  on  thy  helmet  brave,  660 

Till  sun  and  wind  shall  bleach  the  stain, 

And  thou  wilt  bring  it  me  again. 

I  waver  still.  —  O  God  !  more  bright 

Let  reason  beam  her  parting  light  I  — 

O,  by  thy  knighthood's  honored  sign,  665 

And  for  thy  life  preserved  by  mine, 

When  thou  shalt  see  a  darksome  man. 

Who  boasts  him  Chief  of  Alpine's  Clan, 

With  tartans  broad  and  shadowy  plume, 

And  hand  of  blood,  and  brow  of  gloom,  670 

Be  thy  heart  bold,  thy  weapon  strong. 

And  wreak  poor  Blanche  of  Devan's  Avrong !  — 

648.  Frenzied    Distracted.  — 657.   Shred.    Rent,  torn. 


CANTO    IV. 


THE   PROrHECY.  135 


They  watch  for  thee  by  pass  and  fell  .  .  . 
Avoid  the  path  .  .  .  O  God  !  .  .  .  farewell." 


.  XXVIII. 

A  kindly  heart  had  brave  Fitz-Janies ;  675 

Fast  poured  his  eyes  at  pity's  claims ; 

And  now,  with  mingled  grief  and  ire, 

He  saw  the  murdered  maid  expire. 

"  God,  in  my  need,  be  my  relief. 

As  I  wreak  this  on  yonder  Chief !  "  680 

A  lock  from  Blanche's  tresses  fair 

He  blended  with  her  bridegroom's  hair; 

The  mingled  braid  in  blood  he  dyed, 

And  placed  it  on  his  bonnet-side: 

"  By  Him  whose  word  is  truth,  I  swear,  685 

No  other  favor  will  I  wear. 

Till  this  sad  token  I  imbrue 

In  the  best  blood  of  Roderick  Dhu !  — 

But  hark !  what  means  yon  faint  halloo  ? 

The  chase  is  up,  —  but  they  shall  know,  690 

The  stag  at  bay's  a  dangerous  foe." 

Barred  from  the  known  but  guarded  way, 

Through  copse  and  cliffs  Fitz-James  must  stray, 

And  oft  must  change  his  desperate  track. 

By  stream  and  precipice  turned  back.  605 

Heartless,  fatigued,  and  faint,  at  length. 

From  lack  of  food  and  loss  of  strength. 

He  couched  him  in  a  thicket  hoar. 

And  thought  his  toils  and  perils  o'er :  — 

().S0.   Wreak.    Avenge.— 080.  Favor.    Gift  of  a  lady  to  a  Knight,  as 
a  glove  or  a  scarf  to  be  worn  by  him.  —  087.   Imbrue.    Drench. 


136  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  iv. 

"  Of  all  my  rash  adventures  past,  too 

This  frantic  feat  must  prove  the  last ! 

Who  e'er  so  mad  but  might  have  guessed 

That  all  this  Highland  hornet's  nest 

Would  muster  up  in  swarms  so  soon 

As  e'er  they  heard  of  bands  at  Doune  ?  —  705 

Like  bloodhounds  now  they  search  me  out,  — 

Hark,  to  the  whistle  and  the  shout !  — 

If  farther  through  the  wilds  I  go, 

I  only  fall  upon  the  foe : 

I'll  couch  me  here  till  evening  gray,  7io 

Then  darkling  try  my  dangerous  way." 

XXIX. 

The  shades  of  eve  come  slowly  down. 

The  woods  are  wrapt  in  deeper  brown, 

The  owl  awakens  from  her  dell, 

The  fox  is  heard  upon  the  fell ;  715 

Enough  remains  of  glimmering  light 

To  guide  the  wanderer's  steps  aright, 

Yet  not  enough  from  far  to  show 

His  figure  to  the  watchful  foe. 

With  cautious  step  and  ear  awake,  720 

He  climbs  the  crag  and  threads  the  brake  * 

And  not  the  summer  solstice  there 

Tempered  the  midnight  mountain  air. 

But  every  breeze  that  swept  the  wold 

Benumbed  his  drenched  limbs  with  cold.  725 

In  dread,  in  danger,  and  alone. 

Famished  and  chilled,  through  ways  unknown, 

722.   Summer  solstice.    The  longest  clay,  when  the  heat  is  greatest. 


CANTO  IV.  THE   PROPHECY.  137 

Tangled  and  steep,  he  journeyed  on ; 
Till,  as  a.  rock's  huge  j^oint  he  turned, 
A  watch-fire  close  before  him  burned. 


730 


XXX. 

Beside  its  embers  red  and  clear, 

Basked  in  his  plaid  a  mountaineer ; 

And  up  he  sprung  with  sword  in  hand,  — 

"  Thy  name  and  purpose  !     Saxon,  stand !  " 

"  A  stranger."     "  What  dost  thou  require?  "        735 

"  Rest  and  a  guide,  and  food  and  fire. 

My  life's  beset,  my  path  is  lost. 

The  gale  has  chilled  my  limbs  with  frost." 

"  Art  thou  a  friend  to  Roderick  ?  "     "  No  " 

"  Thou  dar'st  not  call  thyself  a  foe  ?  "  740 

"  I  dare  !  to  him  and  all  the  band 

He  brings  to  aid  his  murderous  hand." 

"Bold  words!  — but,  though  the  beast  of  game 

The  privilege  of  chase  may  claim, 

Though  space  and  law  the  stag  we  lend,  745 

Ere  hound  we  slip  or  bow  we  bend, 

Who  ever  recked,  where,  how,  or  when. 

The  prowling  fox  Avas  trapped  or  slain  ? 

Thus  treacherous  scouts, — yet  sure  they  lie. 

Who  say  thou  cam'st  a  secret  spy  !  "  —  750 

"  They  do,  by  heaven !  —  come  Roderick  Dim, 

And  of  his  clan  the  boldest  two, 

And  let  me  but  till  morning  rest, 

I  write  the  falsehood  on  their  crest." 

732.  Basked.    Lay  exposed  to  genial  heat. 
74G.   Slip.    Let  loose  for  the  game. 


138  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  iv. 

"  If  by  the  blaze  I  mark  aright,  755 

Thou  bear'st  the  belt  and  spur  of  Knight." 

"  Then  by  these  tokens  mayst  thou  know 

Each  proud  oppressor's  mortal  foe." 

"Enough,  enough;  sit  down  and  share 

A  soldier's  couch,  a  soldier's  fare."  760 

XXXI. 

He  gave  him  of  his  Highland  cheer. 

The  hardened  flesh  of  mountain  deer ; 

Dry  fuel  on  the  fire  he  laid, 

And  bade  the  Saxon  share  his  plaid. 

He  tended  him  like  welcome  guest,  765 

Then  thus  his  further  speech  addressed :  — 

"  Stranger,  I  am  to  Roderick  Dhu 

A  clansman  born,  a  kinsman  true ; 

Each  wordiagainst  his  honor  spoke 

Demands  of  me  avenging  stroke  ;  770 

Yet  more,  —  upon  thy  fate,  'tis  said, 

A  mighty  augury  is  laid. 

It  rests  with  me  to  wind  my  horn,  — 

Thou  art  with  numbers  overborne ; 

It  rests  with  me,  here,  brand  to  brand,  775 

Worn  as  thou  art,  to  bid  thee  stand : 

But,  not  for  clan,  nor  kindred's  cause. 

Will  I  depart  from  honor's  laws ; 

To  assail  a  wearied  man  were  shame, 

And  stranger  is  a  holy  name ;  .  780 

762.  Hardened  flesh.  The  Scottish  Highlanders  in  former  times  had  a 
way  of  preparing  their  venison  without  cooking,  by  simply  pressing  it  be- 
tween two  pieces  of  wood,  so  as  to  force  out  the  blood  and  render  it  ex- 
tremely hard.      This  was  considered  a  great  delicacy. 


CANTO  IV.  THE    PROPHECY.  139 

Guidance  and  rest,  and  food  and  fire, 

In  vain  he  never  must  require. 

Then  rest  thee  here  till  dawn  of  day ; 

Myself  will  guide  thee  on  the  way, 

O'er  stock  and  stone,  through  watch  and  ward,    785 

Till  past  Clan- Alpine's  outmost  guard. 

As  far  as  Coilantogle's  ford  ; 

From  thence  thy  warrant  is  thy  sword." 

"  I  take  thy  courtesy,  by  heaven. 

As  freely  as  'tis  nobly  given  !  "  790 

"Well,  rest  thee  ;  for  the  bittern's  cry 

Sings  us  the  lake's  wild  lullaby." 

With  that  he  shook  the  gathered  heath, 

And  spread  his  plaid  upon  the  wreath; 

And  the  brave  foemen,  side  by  side,  795 

Lay  peaceful  down  like  brothers  tried, 

And  slept  until  the  dawning  beam 

Purpled  the  mountain  and  the  stream. 

785.  Through  watch  and  ward.  Through  the  midst  of  those  who  keep 
watch  by  night  and  guard  by  day. 

787.  Coilantogle's  ford.  On  arriving  at  Coilantogle's  ford,  near  the 
foot  of  Loch  Vennachar,  Fitz-James,  having  passed  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  lawless  Highlands,  came  within  the  district  loyal  to  the  Scottish  king, 
and,  therefore,  needed  no  further  protection  from  the  Highland  chief. 

788.  Warrant.    Safeguard. 


OUTLINE   OF   CANTO   FIFTH. 


After  a  hasty  morning  meal  the  two  start  upon  their  journey, 
and  the  Gael's  enquiries  as  to  the  knight's  object  in  thus  venturing 
in  these  wilds  without  a  pass  from  the  chief  lead  to  an  interesting 
conversation  betwixt  them.  Fitz-James  shows  that  Roderick's 
suspicions  of  a  war-gathering  are  mistaken,  but  hints  that  his 
preparations  may  possibly  lead  to  an  encounter  which  had  not 
been  intended.  He  avows  his  enmity  against  Roderick,  with 
whom  he  has  vowed  to  match  himself,  and  expresses  the  keenest 
desire  to  meet  "  the  rebel  chieftain  and  his  band."  "  Have,  then, 
thy  wish,"  is  the  reply.  His  companion's  shrill  signal  makes  the 
whole  hillside  bristle  with  armed  men,  who  have  been  lying  concealed 
among  the  heather  and  the  bracken,  and  the  guide  proclaims  him- 
self the  very  man  whom  he  seeks.  At  a  fresh  sign  the  warriors 
disappear  as  suddenly  as  they  sprang  to  light,  and  the  two  pursue 
their  course.  They  pass  the  foot  of  Lake  Vennachar,  and  at  last 
reach  the  ford,  which  is  the  limit  of  Roderick's  protection.  There 
Fitz-James  must  defend  himself  with  his  own  sword.  The  Gael, 
to  make  the  fight  more  equal,  throws  away  his  targe,  and  thus  the 
science  which  makes  the  good  blade  both  sword  and  shield  gives 
the  knight  the  advantage  over  his  adversary.  The  latter,  thrice 
severely  wounded,  loses  his  sword,  but  makes  a  final  effort,  and 
springs  at  his  opponent's  throat.  Clasj)ed  in  his  strong  arms  the 
knight  falls  under  him,  and  the  issue  of  the  fight  would  have  been 
changed  had  not  Roderick  turned  giddy  from  loss  of  blood  and 
missed  his  aim.  Poor  Blanche  is  thus  revenged.  The  victor 
winds  his  bugle,  and  four  attendants  come  galloping  to  the  spot. 
Leaving  two  of  them  to  look  to  the  wounded  man,  he  hastes  with 
the  others  back  to  Stirling.  As  they  come  to  the  castle  they  catch 
sight  of  the  Douglas,  who  comes  to  give  himself  up  to  the  king 


OUTLINE   OF   CANTO   FIFTH.  141 

in  the  hope  of  liberating  the  Graeme,  and  of  saving  Roderick  from 
a  calamitous  war.  On  his  arrival  he  finds  the  town  in  a  bustle  of 
preparation  for  the  burghers'  sports,  and  determines  to  take  part 
in  them,  and  so  introduce  himself  to  the  king.  He  proves  victor 
in  all  that  he  undertakes,  so  that  the  multitude  begin  to  suspect 
who  he  is ;  but  the  king  gives  him  the  prize  as  to  an  utter  stranger. 
All  this  he  bears  patiently ;  but  when  his  hound,  Ellen's  plajrfellow, 
is  maltreated  by  the  king's  huntsman,  he  can  bear  it  no  longer,  and, 
with  a  sound  cuff,  stretches  the  offender  on  the  ground,  and  pro- 
claims himself  and  his  purpose  in  coming.  He  is  carried  off  cap- 
tive to  the  castle.  The  people  attempt  a  rescue,  but  are  appeased 
by  Douglas  himself,  and  retire,  though  with  gloomy  forebodings  of 
his  fate. 

While  the  king  is  brooding  over  the  fickleness  of  the  crowd,  a 
messenger  comes  from  the  Earl  of  Mar  to  warn  him  that  Clan- 
Alpine  is  rising,  and  that  he  must  confine  his  sport  to  guarded 
ground.  The  earl  himself  is  gone  to  quell  the  rising,  and  hopes 
soon  to  encounter  the  foe.  James  sends  in  all  speed  to  stay  the 
army's  march,  as  Roderick  is  already  a  captive,  and  the  people 
must  not  suffer  for  his  crimes.  But  the  message,  as  will  be  seen, 
comes  too  late.  —  Taylor. 


A 


THE   COMBAT. 
I. 

Fair  as  the  earliest  beam  of  eastern  light, 

When  first,  by  the  bewildered  pilgrim  spied. 
It  smiles  upon  the  dreary  brow  of  night, 

And  silvers  o'er  the  torrent's  foaming  tide. 
And  lights  the  fearful  path  on  mountain-side,  —     5 

Fair  as  that  beam,  although  the  fairest  far, 
Giving  to  horror  grace,  to  danger  pride. 

Shine  martial  Faith,  and  Courtesy's  bright  star. 
Through  all  the  wreckful  storms  that  cloud  the 
\  brow  of  War. 

II. 

That  early  beam,  so  fair  and  sheen,  lo 

Was  twinkling  through  the  hazel  screen, 

When,  rousing  at  its  glimmer  red. 

The  warriors  left  their  lowly  bed. 

Looked  out  upon  the  dappled  sky, 

Muttered  their  soldier  matins  by,  15 

And  then  awaked  their  fire,  to  steal. 

As  short  and  rude,  their  soldier  meal. 

That  o'er,  the  Gael  around  him  threw 

8.  Martial.  AVarlike.  — 14.  Dappled.  Spotted. —  16.  To  steal  their 
meal.  To  eat  hurriedly.  — 18.  Gael.  The  Highlander  is  called  f/ae^,  and 
the  Lowlauder  Saxon. 


CANTO    V 


THE   COMBAT.  143 


20 


His  graceful  plaid  of  varied  hue, 

And,  true  to  promise,  led  the  way, 

By  thicket  green  and  mountain  gray. 

A  wildering  path  !  —  they  winded  now 

Along  the  precipice's  brow. 

Commanding  the  rich  scenes  beneath. 

The  windings  of  the  Forth  and  Teith,  25 

And  all  the  vales  between  that  lie, 

Till  Stirling's  turrets  melt  in  sky; 

Then,  sunk  in  copse,  their  farthest  glance 

Gained  not  the  length  of  horseman's  lance. 

'Twas  oft  so  steep,  the  foot  was  fain  30 

Assistance  from  the  hand  to  gain ; 

So  tangled  oft  that,  bursting  through. 

Each  hawthorn  shed  her  showers  of  dew,  — 

That  diamond  dew,  so  pure  and  clear, 

It  rivals  all  but  Beauty's  tear !  35 

III. 

At  leno-th  thev  came  where,  stern  and  steep. 

The  hill  sinks  down  upon  the  deep. 

Here  Vennachar  in  silver  flows. 

There,  ridge  on  ridge,  Benledi  rose ; 

Ever  the  hollow  path  twined  on,  40 

Beneath  steep  bank  and  threatening  stone ; 

A  hundred  men  might  hold  the  post 

With  hardihood  against  a  host. 

The  rugged  mountain's  scanty  cloak 

Was  dwarfish  shrubs  of  birch  and  oak,  45 

With  shingles  bare,  and  cliffs  between. 

And  patches  bright  of  bracken  green, 

46.  Shingles.    Gravel. 


144  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 

And  heather  black,  that  waved  so  high, 

It  held  the  copse  in  rivalry. 

But  where  the  lake  slept  deep  and  still,  so 

Dank  osiers  fringed  the  swamp  and  hill ; 

And  oft  both  path  and  hill  were  torn, 

Where  wintry  torrent  down  had  borne, 

And  heaped  upon  the  cumbered  land 

Its  wreck  of  gravel,  rocks,  and  sand.  55 

So  toilsome  was  the  road  to  trace. 

The  guide,  abating  of  his  pace, 

Led  slowly  through  the  pass's  jaws. 

And  asked  Fitz-James  by  what  strange  cause 

He  sought  these  wilds,  traversed  by  few,  oo 

Without  a  pass  from  Roderick  Dhu. 

IV. 

"  Brave  Gael,  my  pass,  in  danger  tried, 

Hangs  in  my  belt  and  by  my  side ; 

Yet,  sooth  to  tell,"  the  Saxon  said, 

"  I  dreamt  not  now  to  claim  its  aid.  65 

When  here,  but  three  days  since,  I  came. 

Bewildered  in  pursuit  of  game. 

All  seemed  as  peaceful  and  as  still 

As  the  mist  slumbering  on  yon  hill ; 

Thy  dangerous  Chief  was  then  afar,  70 

Nor  soon  expected  back  from  war. 

Thus  said,  at  least,  my  mountain-guide, 

Though  deep  perchance  the  villain  lied." 

"  Yet  why  a  second  venture  try  ?  " 

"  A  warrior  thou,  and  ask  me  why  !  —  75 

51.  Dank  osiers.    Damp  willows. 


CANTO  V.  THE   COMBAT.  145 

Moves  our  free  course  by  such  fixed  cause 

As  gives  the  poor  mechanic  laws  ? 

Enough,  I  sought  to  drive  away 

The  lazy  hours  of  peaceful  day; 

Slight  cause  will  then  suffice  to  guide  80 

A  Knight's  free  footsteps  far  and  wide,  — 

A  falcon  flown,  a  greyhound  strayed, 

The  merry  glance  of  mountain  maid ; 

Or,  if  a  path  be  dangerous  known, 

The  danger's  self  is  lure  alone."  85 


V. 

''  Thy  secret  keep,  I  urge  thee  not ;  — 

Yet,  ere  again  ye  sought  this  spot. 

Say,  heard  ye  naught  of  Lowland  war, 

Against  Clan- Alpine,  raised  by  Mar  ?  " 

"  No,  by  my  word ;  —  of  bands  prepared  90 

To  guard  King  James's  sports  I  heard ; 

Nor  doubt  I  aught,  but,  when  they  hear 

This  muster  of  the  mountaineer. 

Their  pennons  will  abroad  be  flung. 

Which  else  in  Doune  had  peaceful  hung."  95 

"  Free  be  they  flung !   for  Ave  were  loath 

Their  silken  folds  should  feast  the  moth. 

Free  be  they  flung !  —  as  free  shall  wave 

Clan-Alpine's  pine  in  banner  brave. 

But,  stranger,  peaceful  since  you  came,  lOO 

Bewildered  in  the  mountain-game, 

85.   Lure.     Enticement:  that  which  invites  by  the  prospect  of  advantage 
or  pleasure. — 03.  Muster.   Gathering.  —  94.  Pennons.   Flags  or  streamers. 
95.  Doune.     Note,  Canto  V.,  line  492. 


146  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 

Whence  the  bold  boast  by  which  you  show 

Vich-Alpine's  vowed  and  mortal  foe  ?  " 

"  Warrior,  but  yester-morn  I  knew 

Naught  of  thy  Chieftain,  Roderick  Dhu,  105 

Save  as  an  outlawed,  desperate  man, 

The  chief  of  a  rebellious  clan, 

Who,  in  the  Regent's  court  and  sight. 

With  ruffian  dagger  stabbed  a  knight ; 

Yet  this  alone  might  from  his  part  no 

Sever  each  true  and  loyal  heart." 

VI. 

Wrathful  at  such  arraignment  foul. 

Dark  lowered  the  clansman's  sable  scowl. 

A  space  he  paused,  then  sternly  said, 

"And  heardst  thou  why  he  drew  his  blade ?     ii5 

Heardst  thou  that  shameful  word  and  blow 

Brought  Roderick's  vengeance  on  his  foe  ? 

What  recked  the  Chieftain  if  he  stood 

On  Highland  heath  or  Holy-Rood  ? 

He  rights  such  wrong  where  it  is  given,  120 

If  it  were  in  the  court  of  heaven." 

"  Still  was  it  outrage  ;  —  yet,  'tis  true. 

Not  then  claimed  sovereignty  his  due ; 

While  Albany  with  feeble  hand 

Held  borrowed  truncheon  of  command,  125 

The  young  King,  mewed  in  Stirling  tower, 

Was  stranger  to  respect  and  power. 

112.  Arraignment.    Accusation. —113.  Lowered.     Frowned. 

119.  Holy  Rood.  Note,  Canto  11.,  line  221.  —  124.  Albany.  John 
Stewart,  Duke  of  Albany,  was  regent  or  ruler  during  the  minority  of  the 
king. —  125.  Truncheon.     Staff. —  126.   Mewed.     Imprisoned. 

127.  Stranger  to  respect  and  power.     There  is  scarcely  a  more  dis- 


CANTO  V.  THE   COMBAT.  147 

But  then,  thy  Chieftain's  robber  life  I  — 
Winning  mean  prey  by  causeless  strife, 
Wrenching  from  ruined  Lowland  swain  130 

His  herds  and  harvest  reared  in  vain,  — 
Methinks  a  soul  like  thine  should  scorn 
The  spoils  from  such  foul  foray  borne." 

VII. 

The  Gael  beheld  him  grim  the  while. 

And  answered  with  disdainful  smile  :  135 

"  Saxon,  from  yonder  mountain  high, 

I  marked  thee  send  delighted  eye 

Far  to  the  south  and  east,  where  lay. 

Extended  in  succession  gay, 

Deep  waving  fields  and  pastures  green,  140 

With  gentle  slopes  and  groves  between :  — 

These  fertile  plains,  that  softened  vale. 

Were  once  the  birthright  of  the  Gael, 

The  stranger  came  with  iron  hand. 

And  from  our  fathers  reft  the  land.  145 

Where  dwell  we  now  ?     See,  rudely  swell 

Crag  over  crag,  and  fell  o'er  fell. 

Ask  we  this  savage  hill  we  tread 

For  fattened  steer  or  household  bread, 

Ask  we  for  flocks  these  shingles  dry,  15C 

And  well  the  mountain  might  reply,  — 

'  To  you,  as  to  your  sires  of  yore, 

Belong  the  target  and  claymore ! 

orderly  period  in  Scottish  history  than  that  which  succeeded  the  battle  of 
riodden,  and  occupied  the  minority  of  James  V.  Feuds  of  ancient  stand- 
ing broke  out  like  old  wounds,  and  every  quarrel  among  the  independent 
nobility,  which  occurred  daily,  and  almost  hourly,  gave  rise  to  fresh  blood- 
shed.    Scott. 


148  THE   LADY   OF  THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 

I  give  you  shelter  in  my  breast, 

Your  own  good  blades  must  win  the  rest.'         155 

Pent  in  this  fortress  of  the  North, 

Think'st  thou  we  will  not  sally  forth, 

To  spoil  the  spoiler  as  we  may. 

And  from  the  robber  rend  the  prey? 

Ay,  by  my  soul !  —  While  on  yon  plain  160 

The  Saxon  rears  one  shock  of  grain. 

While  of  ten  thousand  herds  there  strays 

But  one  along  yon  river's  maze,  — 

The  Gael,  of  plain  and  river  heir. 

Shall  with  strong  hand  redeem  his  share.  165 

Where  live  the  mountain  Chiefs  who  hold 

That  plundering  Lowland  field  and  fold 

Is  aught  but  retribution  true  ? 

Seek  other  cause  'gainst  Roderick  Dhu." 

VIII. 

Answered  Fitz-James :  "  And,  if  I  sought,        170 
Think'st  thou  no  other  could  be  brought  ? 
What  deem  ye  of  my  path  waylaid? 
My  life  given  o'er  to  ambuscade?" 

156.  Pent.  Shut  up. —  161.  Shock.  A  pile  of  sheaves  or  bundles  of 
grain.  — 163.   Maze.     Wiuding  course. 

169.  Seek  other  cause  'gainst  Roderick  Dhu.  So  far,  indeed,  was  a 
Crecu/h,  or  foray,  from  being  held  disgraceful,  that  a  young  chief  was 
always  expected  to  show  his  talents  for  command,  so  soon  as  he  assumed  it, 
by  leading  his  clan  on  a  successful  enterprise  of  this  nature,  either  against 
a  neighboring  sept,  for  which  constant  feuds  usually  furnished  an  apology, 
or  against  the  Saxons,  or  Lowlanders,  for  which  no  apology  was  necessary. 
The  Gael,  great  traditional  historians,  never  forgot  that  the  Lowlands  bad, 
at  some  remote  period,  been  the  property  of  their  Celtic  forefathers,  which 
furnished  an  ample  vindication  of  all  the  ravages  that  they  could  make  o'n 
the  unfortunate  districts  which  lay  within  their  reach.     Scott. 

173.  Ambuscade.    A  concealed  place  where  troops  lie  hidden. 


CANTO  V.  THE   COMBAT.  149 

"  As  of  a  meed  to  rashness  due : 

Hadst  thou  sent  warning  fair  and  true,  —         175 

I  seek  my  hound  or  falcon  strayed, 

I  seek,  good  faith,  a  Highland  maid,  — 

Free  hadst  thou  been  to  come  and  go ; 

But  secret  path  marks  secret  foe. 

Nor  yet  for  this,  even  as  a  spy,  iso 

Hadst  thou,  unheard,  been  doomed  to  die, 

Save  to  fulfil  an  augury." 

"Well,  let  it  pass;   nor  will  I  now 

Fresh  cause  of  enmity  avow. 

To  chafe  thy  mood  and  cloud  thy  brow.  185 

Enough,  I  am  by  j^romise  tied 

To  match  me  with  this  man  of  pride : 

Twice  have  I  sought  Clan- Alpine's  glen 

In  peace ;  but  when  I  come  again, 

I  come  with  banner,  brand,  and  bow,  190 

As  leader  seeks  his  mortal  foe. 

For  love-lorn  swain  in  lady's  bower 

Ne'er  panted  for  the  appointed  hour, 

As  I,  until  before  me  stand 

This  rebel  Chieftain  and  his  band  !  "  195 

IX. 

"  Have  then  thy  wish  '  "  —  He  whistled  shrill. 

And  he  was  answered  from  the  hill ; 

Wild  as  the  scream  of  the  curlew, 

From  crag  to  crag  the  signal  flew. 

Instant,  through  copse  and  heath,  arose  200 

Bonnets  and  spears  and  bended  bows ; 

198.  Curlew.     Wading-bird  frequenting  the  sea-shore  in  winter  and  the 
mountains  in  summer. 


150  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 

On  right,  on  left,  above,  below, 

Sprung  up  at  once  the  lurking  foe ; 

From  shingles  gray  their  lances  start. 

The  bracken  busli  sends  forth  the  dart,  205 

The  rushes  and  the  willow-wand 

Are  bristling  into  axe  and  brand. 

And  every  tuft  of  broom  gives  life 

To  plaided  w^arrior  armed  for  strife. 

That  whistle  garrisoned  the  glen  210 

At  once  with  full  five  hundred  men. 

As  if  the  yawning  liill  to  heaven 

A  subterranean  host  had  given. 

Watching  their  leader's  beck  and  will. 

All  silent  there  they  stood  and  still.  215 

Like  the  loose  crags  whose  threatening  mass 

Lay  tottering  o'er  the  hollow  pass. 

As  if  an  infant's  touch  could  urge 

Their  headlong  passage  down  the  verge. 

With  step  and  weapon  forward  flung,  220 

Upon  the  mountain-side  they  hung. 

The  Mountaineer  cast  glance  of  pride 

Along  Benledi's  living  side. 

Then  fixed  his  eye  and  sable  brow 

Full  on  Fitz-James:  "How  say'st  thou  now?    225 

These  are  Clan-Alj^ine's  warriors  true ; 

And,  Saxon,  —  I  am  Roderick  Dhu  !  " 

X. 

Fitz-James  was  brave  :  —  though  to  his  heart 
The  life-blood  thrilled  with  sudden  start, 

210.   Garrisoned.    Defended. —213.  Subterranean.     Lying  under  the 
surface  of  the  earth.  —  214.    Beck.    Nod. 


CANTO  V.  THE   COMBAT.  151 

He  manned  himself  with  dauntless  air,  230 

Returned  the  Chief  his  haughty  stare, 

His  back  against  a  rock  he  bore, 

And  firmly  placed  his  foot  before  :  — 

"Come  one,  come  all!  this  rock  shall  fly 

From  its  firm  base  as  soon  as  I."  235 

Sir  Roderick  marked,  —  and  in  his  eyes 

Respect  was  mingled  with  surprise. 

And  the  stern  joy  which  warriors  feel 

In  foeman  worthy  of  their  steel. 

Short  space  he  stood  —  then  waved  his  hand:    240 

Down  sunk  the  disappearing  band ; 

Each  warrior  vanished  where  he  stood. 

In  broom  or  bracken,  heath  or  wood ; 

Sunk  brand  and  spear  and  bended  bow. 

In  osiers  pale  and  copses  low  ;  245 

It  seemed  as  if  their  mother  Earth 

Had  swallowed  up  her  warlike  birth. 

The  wind's  last  breath  had  tossed  in  air 

Pennon  and  plaid  and  plumage  fair,  — 

The  next  but  swept  a  lone  hill-side,  250 

Where  heath  and  fern  were  Avaving  wide  : 

The  sun's  last  glance  was  glinted  back 

From  spear  and  glaive,  from  targe  and  jack,  — 

The  next,  all  unreflected,  shone 

On  bracken  green  and  cold  gray  stone.  255 

xr. 

Fitz-James  looked  round,  —  yet  scarce  believed 
The  witness  that  his  sight  received ; 

252.   Glinted.     Flashed. —253.   Prom  targe   and  jack.     From  shield 
and  coat  of  armor.    The  peasant's  coat  of  armor  was  a  leathern  jacket. 


152  THE    LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 

Such  apparition  well  might  seem 

Delusion  of  a  dreadful  dream. 

Sir  Roderick  in  suspense  he  eyed,  260 

And  to  his  look  the  Chief  replied : 

"  Fear  naught  —  nay,  that  I  need  not  say  — 

But  —  doubt  not  aught  from  mine  array. 

Thou  art  my  guest ;  —  I  pledged  my  word 

As  far  as  Coilantogle  ford  :  265 

Nor  would  I  call  a  clansman's  brand 

For  aid  against  one  valiant  hand. 

Though  on  our  strife  lay  every  vale 

Rent  by  the  Saxon  from  the  Gael. 

So  move  we  on; — I  only  meant  270 

To  show  the  reed  on  which  you  leant. 

Deeming  this  path  you  might  pursue 

Without  a  pass  from  Roderick  Dhu." 

They  moved  ;  —  I  said  Fitz-James  was  brave 

As  ever  knight  that  belted  glaive,  275 

Yet  dare  not  say  that  now  his  blood 

Kept  on  its  wont  and  tempered  flood, 

As,  following  Roderick's  stride,  he  drew 

That  seeming  lonesome  pathway  through, 

Which  yet  by  fearful  proof  was  rife  280 

With  lances,  that,  to  take  his  life, 

Waited  but  signal  from  a  guide. 

So  late  dishonored  and  defied. 

258.   Apparition.    Sudden  appearance.  —  259.  Delusion.    Deception. 

260.   Suspense.    Dread  uncertainty. 

273.  "Without  a  pass  from  Roderick  Dhu.  This  incident,  like  some 
other  passages  in  the  poem,  illustrative  of  the  character  of  the  ancient 
Gael,  is  not  imaginary,  but  borrowed  from  fact.  The  Highlanders,  with 
the  inconsistency  of  most  nations  in  the  same  state,  were  alternately  capable 
of  great  exertions  of  generosity,  and  of  cruel  revenge  and  perfidy.     Scott. 


CANTO  V.  THE   COMBAT.  153 

Ever,  by  stealth,  his  eye  sought  round 

The  vanished  guardians  of  the  ground,  285 

And  still  from  copse  and  heather  deep 

Fancy  saw  spear  and  broadsword  peep. 

And  in  the  plover's  shrilly  strain 

The  signal  whistle  heard  again. 

Nor  breathed  he  free  till  far  behind  290 

The  pass  was  left ,  for  then  they  wind 

Along  a  wide  and  level  green. 

Where  neither  tree  nor  tuft  was  seen, 

Nor  rush  nor  bush  of  broom  was  near, 

To  hide  a  bonnet  or  a  spear.  295 


XII. 

The  Chief  in  silence  strode  before. 

And  reached  that  torrent's  sounding  shore, 

Which,  daughter  of  three  mighty  lakes, 

From  Yennachar  in  silver  breaks. 

Sweeps  through  the  plain,  and  ceaseless  mines    300 

On  Bochastle  the  mouldering  lines, 

Where  Rome,  the  Empress  of  the  world. 

Of  yore  her  eagle  wings  unfurled. 

And  here  his  course  the  Chieftain  stayed, 

288.   Plover.     A  bird  frequenting  the  sea-shore  and  banks  of  rivers. 

298.   Three  mighty  lakes.     Katrine,  Achray,  and  Yennachar. 

301.  Bochastle.  The  torrent  which  discharges  itself  from  Loch  Yen- 
nachar, the  lowest  and  eastmost  of  the  three  lakes  which  form  the  scenery 
adjoining  to  the  Trosachs,  sweeps  through  a  flat  and  extensive  moor  called 
Bochastle.  Upon  a  small  eminence  called  the  Bun  of  Bochastle,  and,  in- 
deed, on  the  plain  itself,  are  some  intrenchments  which  have  been  thought 
Roman.     Pcott. 

303.  Eagle  wings  unfurled.  The  eagle  was  the  principal  standard  of 
the  Roman  army. 


154  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 

Threw  down  his  target  and  his  plaid,  305 

And  to  the  Lowland  warrior  said  : 

"  Bold  Saxon  !  to  his  promise  just, 

Vich-Alpine  has  discharged  his  trust. 

This  murderous  Chief,  this  ruthless  man. 

This  head  of  a  rebellious  clan,  310 

Hath  led  thee  safe,  through  watch  and  ward. 

Far  past  Clan-Alpine's  outmost  guard. 

Now,  man  to  man,  and  steel  to  steel, 

A  Chieftain's  vengeance  thou  shalt  feel. 

See,  here  all  vantageless  I  stand,  315 

Armed  like  thyself  with  single  brand ; 

For  this  is  Coilantogle  ford. 

And  thou  must  keep  thee  with  thy  sword." 

XIII. 

The  Saxon  paused:  "I  ne'er  delayed. 

When  foeman  bade  me  draw  my  blade ;  320 

Nay  more,  brave  Chief,  I  vowed  thy  death ; 

Yet  sure  thy  fair  and  generous  faith. 

And  my  deep  debt  for  life  preserved, 

A  better  meed  have  well  deserved : 

Can  naught  but  blood  or  feud  atone  ?  325 

Are  there  no  means  ?  " —  "  No,  stranger,  none  ! 

And  hear,  —  to  fire  thy  flagging  zeal,  — 

The  Saxon  cause  rests  on  thy  steel; 

For  thus  spoke  Fate  by  prophet  bred 

Between  the  living  and  the  dead :  330 

'Who  spills  the  foremost  foeman's  life, 

His  party  conquers  in  the  strife.'  " 

"  Then,  by  my  word,"  the  Saxon  said, 

"  The  riddle  is  already  read. 


CANTO  V.  THE   COMBAT.  I55 

Seek  yonder  brake  beneath  the  cliff, 335 

.  There  lies  Red  Murdoch,  stark  and  stiff. 
Thus  Fate  hath  solved  her  prophecy ; 
Then  yield  to  Fate,  and  not  to  me. 
To  James  at  Stirlino-  let  us  go. 
When,  if  thou  wilt  be  still  his  foe, 
Or  if  the  King  shall  not  agree 
To  grant  thee  grace  and  favor  free, 
I  plight  mine  honor,  oath,  and  word 
That,  to  thy  native  strengths  restored, 
With  each  advantage  shalt  thou  stand 
That  aids  thee  now  to  guard  thy  land." 


340 


345 


XIV. 

Dark  lightning  flashed  from  Roderick's  eye : 
''  Soars  thy  presumption,  then,  so  high. 
Because  a  wretched  kern  ye  slew. 
Homage  to  name  to  Roderick  Dhu  ?  350 

He  yields  not,  he,  to  man  nor  Fate  I 

Thou  add'st  but  fuel  to  my  hate ; 

My  clansman's  blood  demands  revenge. 

Not  yet  prepared?  —  By  heaven,  I  change 

My  thought,  and  hold  thy  valor  light  355 

As  that  of  some  vain  carpet  knight. 

Who  ill  deserved  my  courteous  care, 

And  whose  best  boast  is  but  to  wear 

A  braid  of  his  fair  lady's  hair." 

"  I  thank  thee,  Roderick,  for  the  word !  m 

It  nerves  my  heart,  it  steels  my  sword ; 

350.  Homage.     Deference,  submission. 

35G.   Carpet  knight.      One  who  wins  his  honors  in  royal  halls  by 
favoritism  rather  than  by  bravery  on  the  battle-field. 


156  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 

For  I  have  sworn  this  braid  to  stain 

In  the  best  blood  that  warms  th}^  vein. 

Now,  trnce,  farewell !  and,  ruth,  begone  !  — 

Yet  think  not  that  by  thee  alone,  365 

Proud  Chief  !  can  courtesy  be  shown ;  £.^  'j 

Though  not  from  copse,  or  heath,  or  can-n, 

Start  at  my  whistle  clansmen  stern, 

Of  this  small  horn  one  feeble  blast 

Would  fearful  odds  against  thee  cast.  sto 

But  fear  not  —  doubt  not  —  which  thou  wilt  — 

We  try  this  quarrel  hilt  to  hilt." 

Then  each  at  once  his  falchion  drew, 

Each  on  the  ground  his  scabbard  threw, 

Each  looked  to  sun  and  stream  and  plain  375 

As  what  they  ne'er  might  see  again ; 

Then  foot  and  point  and  eye  opposed, 

In  dubious  strife  they  darkly  closed. 

XY. 

Ill  fared  it  then  with  Roderick  Dhu, 

That  on  the  field  his  targe  he  threw,  380 

Whose  brazen  studs  and  tough  bull-hide 

Had  death  so  often  dashed  aside ; 

For,  trained  abroad  his  arms  to  wield, 

Fitz-James's  blade  was  sword  and  shield. 

He  practised  every  pass  and  ward,  385 

To  thrust,  to  strike,  to  feint,  to  guard ; 

364.   Truce.     Temporary  cessation  of  hostilities.  —  Ruth.     Pity. 

380.  His  targe  he  threw,  etc.  A  round  target  of  light  wood,  covered 
with  strong  leather,  and  studded  with  brass  or  iron,  was  a  necessary  part 
of  a  Highlander's  equipment.  In  charging  regular  troops,  they  received 
the  thrust  of  the  bayonet  in  this  buckler,  twisted  it  aside,  and  used  the 
broadsword  against  the  encumbered  soldier.     Scott. 

386.  Feint.    To  pretend  an  attack. 


CANTO  V.  THE    COMBAT.  157 

While  less  expert,  though  stronger  far, 

The  Gael  maintained  unequal  war. 

Three  times  in  closing  strife  they  stood, 

And  thrice  the  Saxon  blade  drank  blood ;  3<k) 

No  stinted  draught,  no  scanty  tide. 

The  gushing  flood  the  tartans  dyed. 

Fierce  Roderick  felt  the  fatal  drahi. 

And  showered  his  blows  like  wintry  rain  ;  JLv"^^ 

And,  as  firm  rock  or  castle-roof  395 

Against  the  winter  shower  is  proof. 

The  foe,  invulnerable  still. 

Foiled  his  wild  rage  by  steady  skill ; 

Till,  at  advantage  ta'en,  his  brand 

Forced  Roderick's  weapon  from  his  hand,  400 

And  backward  borne  upon  the  lea. 

Brought  the  proud  Chieftain  to  his  knee. 

XVI. 

"  Now  yield  thee,  or  by  Him  who  made 
The  world,  thy  heart's  blood  dies  my  blade  !  " 
"  Thy  threats,  thy  mercy,  T  defy  !  405 

Let  recreant  yield,  who  fears  to  die.'' 
Like  adder  darting  from  his  coil,  /^.^*>wV» 
Like  wolf  that  dashes  through  the  toil,  ^^^^^^.^.xj)^ 
Like  mountain-cat  who  guards  her  young,  ^^►vw^' 
Full  at  Fitz- James's  throat  he  sprung ;  4io 

Received,  but  recked  not  of  a  Avound, 
And  locked  his  arms  his  foeman  round. — 
Now,  gallant  Saxon,  hold  thine  own ! 
No  maiden's  hand  is  round  thee  thrown! 

406.   Recreant,     A  cowardly  wretch. 


158  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 

That  desperate  grasp  thy  frame  might  feel        4i5 

Through  bars  of  brass  and  triple  steel ! 

They  tug,  they  strain !  down,  down  they  go, 

The  Gael  above,  Fitz-James  below. 

Tlie  Chieftain's  gripe  his  throat  compressed. 

His  knee  was  planted  on  his  breast ;  420 

His  clotted  locks  he  backward  threw, 

Across  his  broAV  his  hand  he  drew, 

From  blood  and  mist  to  clear  his  sight, 

Then  gleamed  aloft  his  dagger  bright ! 

But  hate  and  fury  ill  supplied  425 

The  stream  of  life's  exhausted  tide. 

And  all  too  late  the  advantage  came, 

To  turn  the  odds  of  deadly  game ; 

For,  while  the  dagger  gleamed  on  high. 

Reeled  soul  and  sense,  reeled  brain  and  eye.     430 

Down  came  the  blow !  but  in  the  heath 

The  erring  blade  found  bloodless  sheath. 

The  struggling  foe  may  now  unclasp 

The  fainting  Chief's  relaxing  grasp ; 

Unwounded  from  the  dreadful  close,  435 

But  breathless  all,  Fitz-James  arose. 

xvir. 

He  faltered  thanks  to  Heaven  for  life. 

Redeemed,  unhoped,  from  desperate  strife ; 

Next  on  his  foe  his  look  he  cast. 

Whose  every  gasp  appeared  his  last ;  440 

In  Roderick's  gore  he  dipped  the  braid,  — 

"  Poor  Blanche  !  thy  wrongs  are  dearly  paid; 

416.  Triple  steel.    Three-fold  armor. —435.  Close.    Grapple. 


CANTO  V.  THE   COMBAT.  159 

Yet  with  thy  foe  must  die  or  live 

The  praise  that  faith  and  valor  give." 

With  that  he  blew  a  bugle  note,  445 

Undid  the  collar  from  his  throat, 

Unbonneted,  and  by  the  wave 

Sat  doAvn  his  brow  and  hands  to  lave. 

Then  faint  afar  are  heard  the  feet 

Of  rushing  steeds  in  gallop  fleet ;  450 

The  sounds  increase,  and  now  are  seen 

Four  mounted  squires  in  Lincoln  green  ; 

Two  who  bear  lance,  and  two  who  lead 

By  loosened  rein  a  saddled  steed ; 

Each  onward  held  his  headlong  course,  455 

And  by  Fitz-James  reined  up  his  horse,  — 

With  wonder  viewed  the  bloody  spot,  — 

"  Exclaim  not,,  gallants  !  question  not.  — 

You,  Herbert  and  Luffness,  alight. 

And  bind  the  wounds  of  yonder  knight ;  4r)0 

Let  the  gray  palfrey  bear  his  weight, 

We  destined  for  a  fairer  freight. 

And  bring  him  on  to  Stirling  straight ; 

I  will  before  at  better  speed, 

To  seek  fresh  horse  and  fitting  weed.  465 

The  sun  rides  high ;  —  I  must  be  boune 

To  see  the  archer-game  at  noon ; 

But  lightly  Bayard  clears  the  lea.  — 

De  Yaux  and  Herries,  follow  me. 

458.   Gallants.     Brave  men. 

401.  Palfrey.     A  small  saddle-horse  for  ladies'  use. 

4GG.  Boune.     Ready. 


160  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 

XVIII. 

"Stand,  Bayard,  stand!" — the  steed  obeyed,  470 

With  arching  neck  and  bended  head. 

And  glancing  eye  and  quivering  ear. 

As  if  he  loved  his  lord  to  hear. 

No  foot  Fitz-James  in  stirrup  stayed, 

No  grasp  upon  the  saddle  laid,  475 

But  wreathed  his  left  hand  in  the  mane, 

And  lightly  bounded  from  the  plain. 

Turned  on  the  horse  his  armed  heel. 

And  stirred  his  courage  with  the  steel. 

Bounded  the  fiery  steed  in  air,  480 

The  rider  sat  erect  and  fair, 

Then  like  a  bolt  from  steel  crossbow 

Forth  launched,  along  the  plain  they  go. 

They  dashed  that  rapid  torrent  through. 

And  u]3  Carhonie's  hill  they  flew ;  485 

Still  at  the  gallop  pricked  the  Knight, 

His  merrymen  followed  as  they  might. 

Along  thy  banks,  swift  Teitli !   they  ride. 

And  in  the  race  they  mock  thy  tide ; 

Torry  and  Lendrick  now  are  past,  490 

And  Deanstown  lies  behind  them  cast ; 

They  rise,  the  bannered  toAvers  of  Doune, 

They  sink  in  distant  woodland  soon ; 

486.   Pricked.     Spurred  or  rode. 

490-497.  Torry,  Lendrick,  Dernstown,  Blair-Drummond,  Ochtertyre, 
and  Kier  lie  on  the  banks  of  the  Teith,  and  were  all  familiar  to  Scott  in 
his  early  years. 

492.  The  bannered  towers  of  Doune.  The  ruins  of  Doune  Castle, 
formerly  the  residence  of  the  Earls  of  Menteith,  now  the  property  of 
the  Earl  of  Moray,  are  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the  Ardoch  and  the 
Teith.    Scott. 


^^^To  ^'-  THE   COMBAT.  1(31 

Blair-Dnimmond  sees  the  hoofs  strike  fire, 

They  sweep  like  breeze  through  Ochtertjre ;     495 

They  mark  just  gLance  and  disappear 

The  lofty  brow  of  ancient  Kier ; 

They  bathe  their  coursers'  sweltering  sides, 

Dark  Forth  !    amid  thy  sluggish  tides. 

And  on  the  opposing  shore  take  ground,  500 

With  plash,  with  scramble,  and  with  bound. 

Right-hand  they  leave  thy  chffs,  Craig-Forth ! 

And  soon  the  bulwark  of  the  North, 

Gray  Stirling,  with  her  towers  and  town, 

Upon  their  fleet  career  looked  down.  505 

XIX. 

As  up  the  flinty  path  they  strained, 
Sudden  his  steed  the  leader  reined  ; 
A  signal  to  his  squire  he  flung. 

Who  instant  to  his  stirrup  sprung : 

"  Seest  thou,  De  Vaux,  yon  woodsman  gray,     5io 

Who  townward  holds  the  rocky  way, 

Of  stature  tall  and  poor  array  ? 

Mark'st  thou  the  firm,  yet  active  stride. 

With  which  he  scales  the  mountain-side  ? 

Know'st  thou  from  whence  he  comes,  or  whom?"  515 

"  No,  by  my  word  ;  —  a  burly  groom 

He  seems,  who  in  the  field  or  chase 

A  baron's  train  would  nobly  grace  —  " 

"  Out,  out,  De  Vaux  !    can  fear  supply, 

And  jealousy,  no  sharper  eye  ?  520 

504.  Stirling.  This  castle  was  one  of  the  principal  fortresses  of  Scot- 
land and  the  residence  of  James  Y.  Standing  upon  a  lofty  rock,  it  com- 
mands a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding  country  and  Firth  of  Forth 


162  THE   LADY   OF  THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 

Afar,  ere  to  the  hill  he  drew, 

That  stately  form  and  step  I  knew ; 

Like  form  in  Scotland  is  not  seen, 

Treads  not  such  step  on  Scottish  green. 

'Tis  James  of  Douglas,  by  Saint  Serle  !  525 

The  uncle  of  the  banished  Earl. 

Away,  away,  to  court,  to  show 

The  near  approach  of  dreaded  foe  : 

The  King  must  stand  upon  his  guard; 

Douglas  and  he  must  meet  prepared."  530 

Then  right-hand  wheeled  their  steeds,  and  straight 

They  won  the  Castle's  postern  gate. 


XX. 

The  Douglas,  who  had  bent  his  way 

From  Cambus-kenneth's  abbey  gray, 

NoAV,  as  he  climbed  the  rocky  shelf,  535 

Held  sad  communion  with  himself :  — 

"  Yes  !   all  is  true  my  fears  could  frame  ; 

A  prisoner  lies  the  noble  Grseme, 

And  fiery  Roderick  soon  will  feel 

The  vengeance  of  the  royal  steel.  540 

I,  only  I,  can  ward  their  fate,  — 

God  grant  the  ransom  come  not  late  ! 

The  Abbess  hath  her  promise  given. 

My  child  shall  be  the  bride  of  Heaven ;  — 

Be  pardoned  one  repining  tear  !  545 

For  He  who  gave  her  knows  how  dear, 

532.   Postern  gate.     Back  gate. 

544.   Bride  of  Heaven.     One  whose   life    is  wholly   devoted  to  the 
church. 


CANTO  V.  THE    COMBAT.  163 

How  excellent !  —  but  that  is  by, 

And  now  my  business  is  —  to  die. — 

Ye  towers  !    within  whose  circuit  dread 

A  Douglas  by  his  sovereign  bled ;  550 

And  thou,  O  sad  and  fatal  mound ! 

That  oft  hast  heard  the  death-axe  sound. 

As  on  the  noblest  of  the  land 

Fell  the  stern  headsman's  bloody  hand,  — 

The  dungeon,  block,  and  nameless  tomb  555 

Prepare  —  for  Douglas  seeks  his  doom  ! 

But  hark  !    what  blithe  and  jolly  peal 

Makes  the  Franciscan  steeple  reel? 

And  see  !    upon  the  crowded  street, 

In  motley  groups  what  masquers  meet !  560 

Banner  and  pageant,  pipe  and  drum. 

And  merry  morrice-dancers  come. 

I  guess,  by  all  this  quaint  array. 

The  burghers  hold  their  sports  to-day. 

547.  By.    Past. 

uoO.  Douglas.  The  fate  of  William,  eighth  Earl  of  Douglas,  whom 
James  II.  stabbed  iu  Stirling  Castle  with  his  owu  hand,  and  while  under 
his  royal  safe  conduct,  is  familiar  to  all  who  read  Scottish  history.   Scott. 

551.  0  sad  and  fatal  mound.  An  eminence  on  the  north-east  of  the 
Stirling  Castle  where  state  criminals  were  executed.  Stirling  was  often 
polluted  with  noble  blood.    Scott. 

558.  Franciscan.  A  Roman  Catholic  order  founded  by  St.  Francis  on 
the  principle  of  poverty.  He  held  that  neither  the  individual  nor  an  insti- 
tution should  acquire  or  hold  any  right  of  property.  —5G0.  Motley.  Made 
up  of  various  kinds.  —Masquers.    Players  disguised  in  masks. 

562.  Morrxce-dancers.  Performers  of  a  Moorish  dance,  a  popular 
amusement  of  the  day,  in  which  all  classes  of  society  joined.  The  actors, 
personating  certain  characters,  as  Friar  Tuck,  Robin  Hood,  etc.,  were  dis- 
guised iu  curious  vestments  of  fawn-colored  silk  in  the  form  of  a  tunic, 
with  trappings  of  green  and  red  satin,  and  wore  bells  around  their  ankles, 
with  which  they  kept  time  to  the  music.    See  note,  Canto  V.,  line  615. 

56.'^..   Quaint.     Odd  and  fanciful. 

5(>i.  The  burghers  hold  their  sports  to-day.   Every  burgh  of  Scotland 


164  THE   LADY   OF  THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 


James  will  be  tliere  :  he  loves  such  show,  565 

Where  the  good  yeoman  bends  his  bow, 

And  the  tough  wrestler  foils  his  foe, 

As  well  as  where,  in  proud  career, 

The  high-born  tilter  shivers  spear. 

I'll  foUoAv  to  the  Castle-park,  570 

And  play  my  prize  ;  —  King  James  shall  mark 

If  age  has  tamed  these  sinews  stark, 

Whose  force  so  oft  in  liappier  days 

His  boyish  wonder  loved  to  praise." 

XXI. 

The  Castle  gates  were  open  flung,  575 

The  quivering  drawbridge  rocked  and  rung. 

And  echoed  loud  the  flinty  street 

Beneath  the  coursers'  clattering  feet, 

As  slowly  down  the  steejD  descent 

Fair  Scotland's  King  and  nobles  went,  580 

While  all  along  the  crowded  way 

Was  jubilee  and  loud  huzza. 

And  ever  James  was  bending  low 

To  his  white  jennet'^  saddle-bow, 

of  the  least  note,  but  more  especially  the  considerable  towns,  had  their 
solemn  itlay,  or  festival,  when  feats  of  archery  were  exhibited,  and  prizes 
distributed  to  those  who  excelled  in  wrestling,  hurling  the  bar,  and  the 
other  gymnastic  exercises  of  the  period.  Stirling,  a  usual  place  of  royal 
residence,  was  not  likely  to  be  deficient  in  pomp  upon  such  occasions, 
especially  since  James  V.  was  very  partial  to  them.  His  ready  participa- 
tion in  these  popular  amusements  was  one  cause  of  his  acquiring  the  title 
of  King  of  the  Commons.  —  Scott. 

566.  Yeoman.  A  countryman;  in  England,  next  in  order  of  rank  to 
the  gentry.     The  term  is  also  applied  to  a  member  of  the  King's  guard. 

569,   Tilter.     One  using  the  lance  on  horseback. 

571.  Stark.  Strong,  rugged. —575.  Castle.  Stirling.  Note,  Canto  V., 
line  504.  —584.  Jennet.     A  small  Spanish  horse. 


CANTO  V.  THE    COMBAT.  165 

Doffing  his  cap  to  city  dame,  585 

Who  smiled  and  blushed  for  pride  and  shame. 

And  well  the  simperer  might  be  vain,  — 

He  chose  the  fairest  of  the  train. 

Gravely  he  greets  each  city  sire. 

Commends  each  pageant's  quaint  attire,  590 

Gives  to  the  dancers  thanks  aloud, 

And  smiles  and  nods  upon  the  crowd. 

Who  rend  the  heavens  with  their  acclaims,  — 

"  Long  live  the  Commons'  King,  King  James  !  " 

Behind  the  King  thronged  peer  and  knight,      595 

And  noble  dame  and  damsel  bright. 

Whose  fiery  steeds  ill  brooked  the  stay 

Of  the  steep  street  and  crowded  way. 

But  in  the  train  you  might  discern 

Dark  lowering  brow  and  visage  stern ;  goo 

There  nobles  mourned  their  pride  restrained, 

And  the  mean  burgher's  joys  disdained ; 

And  chiefs,  who,  hostage  for  their  clan. 

Were  each  from  home  a  banished  man. 

There  thought  upon  their  own  gray  tower,        605 

Their  waving  woods,  their  feudal  power. 

And  deemed  themselves  a  shameful  part 

Of  pageant  which  they  cursed  in  heart. 

585.   Doffing.    Taking  off. 

594.  Commons'  King.  So  called  because  he  favored  the  common  people 
as  opposed  to  the  nobles. 

603.  Hostage.  A  person  given  as  security  for  the  performance  of  the 
conditions  of  a  treaty. 

600.  Feudal  power.  Power  to  command  the  services  of  tenants  or 
vassals  iu  case  of  war. 


166  THE   LADY   OF  THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 

XXII. 

Now,  in  the  Castle-park,  drew  out 

Their  checkered  bands  the  joyous  rout.  cio 

There  morricers,  with  bell  at  heel 

And  blade  in  hand,  their  mazes  wheel ; 

But  chief,  beside  the  butts,  there  stand 

Bold  Robin  Hood  and  all  his  band,  — 

Friar  Tuck  with  quarter  staff  and  cowl,  615 

Old  Scathelocke  with  his  surly  scowl, 

Maid  Marian,  fair  as  ivory  bone, 

Scarlet,  and  Mutch,  and  Little  John ; 

Their  bugles  challenge  all  that  will. 

In  archery  to  prove  their  skill.  620 

The  Douglas  bent  a  bow  of  might,  — 

His  first  shaft  centred  in  the  white, 

And  when  in  turn  he  shot  again, 

His  second  split  the  first  in  twain. 

From  the  King's  hand  must  Douglas  take         625 

A  silver  dart,  the  archers'  stake  ; 

Fondly  he  watched,  with  watery  eye. 

Some  answering  glance  of  sympathy,  — 

No  kind  emotion  made  reply ! 

Indifferent  as  to  archer  wight,  630 

The  monarch  gave  the  arrow  bright. 

610.  Checkered  bands.  Compauies  of  players  in  gay  dresses.  — Rout. 
Noisy  crowd.  — 613.   Butts.     Targets. 

614.  Eobin  Hood.  A  noted  robber  or  outlaw  in  the  reign  of  Richard  I., 
about  the  year  1190.  The  exhibition  of  this  renowned  outlaw  and  his  band 
was  a  favorite  frolic  at  festivals  in  which  king-;  did  not  disdain  to  be  actors. 

615-lfi.  Friar  Tuck,  Scathelocke,  Maid  Marian,  Scarlet,  Mutch,  and 
Little  John  were  companions  of  Robin  Hood,  renowned  in  ballad,  and 
mentioned  in  Scott's  Iranhoe.  —  Quarterstaff .  A  stout  staff  used  as  a 
weapon  of  defence.  —  Cowl.     A  monk's  hood. 

630.   Archer  wight.     Common  archer. 


CANTO    V. 


THE   COMBAT.  167 


XXIIT. 

Now,  clear  the  ring  I  for,  hand  to  hand. 

The  manly  wrestlers  take  their  stand. 

Two  o'er  the  rest  superior  rose, 

And  proud  demanded  mightier  foes,  —  635 

Nor  called  in  vain,  for  Douglas  came.  — 

For  life  is  Hugh  of  Larbert  lame  ; 

Scarce  better  John  of  Alloa's  fare, 

Whom  senseless  home  his  comrades  bare. 

Prize  of  the  wrestling  match,  the  King  640 

To  Douglas  gave  a  golden  ring. 

While  coldly  glanced  his  eye  of  blue,  ) 

As  frozen  drop  of  wintry  dew.  A"^-^^^  ' 

Douglas  would  speak,  but  in  his  breast 

His  struggling  soul  his  words  suppressed  ;         645 

Indignant  then  he  turned  him  where 

Their  arms  the  brawny  yeomen  bare, 

To  hurl  the  massive  bar  in  air. 

When  each  his  utmost  strength  had  shown, 

The  Douglas  rent  an  earth-fast  stone  650 

From  its  deep  bed,  then  heaved  it  high. 

And  sent  the  fragment  through  the  sky 

A  rood  beyond  the  farthest  mark ; 

And  still  in  Stirling's  royal  park. 

The  gray-haired  sires,  who  know  the  past,         655 

To  strangers  point  the  Douglas  cast, 

And  moralize  on  the  decay 

Of  Scottish  strength  in  modern  day. 

647.  Brawny.     Sinewy,  strong. 


665 


1(38  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  cantg  v. 

XXIV. 

The  vale  with  loud  applauses  rang, 

The  Ladies'  Rock  sent  back  the  clang.  660 

The  King,  with  look  unmoved,  bestowed 

A  purse  well  filled  with  pieces  broad. 

Indignant  smiled  the  Douglas  proud, 

And  threw  the  gold  among  the  crowd, 

Who  now  with  anxious  wonder  scan, 

And  sharper  glance,  the  dark  gray  man  ; 

Till  whispers  rose  among  the  throng. 

That  heart  so  free,  and  hand  so  strong. 

Must  to  the  Douglas  blood  belong. 

The  old  men  marked  and  shook  the  head,  670 

To  see  his  hair  with  silver  spread, 

And  winked  aside,  and  told  each  son 

Of  feats  upon  the  English  done. 

Ere  Douglas  of  the  stalwart  hand 

Was  exiled  from  his  native  land.  675 

The  women  praised  his  stately  form, 

Though  wrecked  by  many  a  winter's  storm  ; 

The  youth  with  awe  and  wonder  saw 

His  strength  surpassing  Nature's  law. 

Thus  judged,  as  is  their  wont,  the  crowd,  680 

Till  murmurs  rose  to  clamors  loud. 

But  not  a  glance  from  that  proud  ring 

Of  peers  who  circled  round  the  King 

With  Douglas  held  communion  kind. 

Or  called  the  banished  man  to  mind ;  685 

No,  not  from  those  who  at  the  chase 

Once  held  his  side  the  honored  place, 

660.   The  Ladies'  Rock.    The  ladies'  stand  for  viewing  the  sports. 
674.   Stalwart.     Strong. 


CANTO  V.  THE   COMBAT.  Igg 

Begirt  his  board,  and  in  the  field 

Found  safet}^  underneath  Ids  shield ; 

For  he  ^^'hom  royal  eyes  disown,  690 

When  was  his  form  to  courtiers  known ! 

XXV. 

The  Monarch  saw  the  gambols  flag, 

And  bade  let  loose  a  gallant  stag. 

Whose  pride,  the  holiday  to  crown. 

Two  favorite  greyhounds  should  pull  down,      695 

That  venison  free  and  Bourdeaux  wine 

Might  serve  the  archery  to  dine. 

But  Lufra,  —  whom  from  Douglas'  side 

Nor  bribe  nor  threat  could  e'er  divide. 

The  fleetest  hound  in  all  the  North,  —  700 

Brave  Lufra  saw,  and  darted  forth. 

She  left  the  royal  hounds  midway. 

And  dashing  on  the  antlered  prey, 

Sunk  her  sharp  muzzle  in  his  flank. 

And  deep  the  flowing  life-blood  drank.  705 

The  King's  stout  huntsman  saw  the  sport 

By  strange  intruder  broken  short. 

Came  up,  and  with  his  leash  unbound 

In  anger  struck  the  noble  hound. 

The  Douglas  had  endured,  that  morn,  710 

The  King's  cold  look,  the  nobles'  scorn, 

And  last,  and  worst  to  spirit  proud. 

Had  borne  the  pity  of  the  crowd ; 

But  Lufra  had  been  fondly  bred. 

To  share  his  board,  to  watch  his  bed,  7i5 

708.   Leash.      A  thoug  of  leather,  or  long  line,  by  which  a  hunter  holds 
his  dog. 


170  THE   LADY   OF  THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 

And  oft  would  Ellen  Liifra's  neck 

In  maiden  glee  with  garlands  deck ; 

They  were  such  playmates  that  with  name 

Of  Lufra  Ellen's  image  came. 

His  stifled  wrath  is  brimming  high,  720 

In  darkened  brow  and  flashing  eye ; 

As  waves  before  the  bark  divide, 

The  crowd  gave  way  before  his  stride ; 

Needs  but  a  buffet  and  no  more. 

The  groom  lies  senseless  in  his  gore.  725 

Such  blow  no  other  hand  could  deal. 

Though  gauntleted  in  glove  of  steel. 

XXVI. 

Then  clamored  loud  the  roval  train, 

And  brandished  swords  and  staves  amain, 

Bat  stern  the  Baron's  warning:  "Back!  730 

Back,  on  your  lives,  ye  menial  pack ! 

Beware  the  Douglas.  —  Yes  !    behold. 

King  James !     The  Douglas,  doomed  of  old. 

And  vainly  sought  for  near  and  far, 

A  victim  to  atone  the  war,  735 

A  willing  victim,  now  attends, 

Nor  craves  thy  grace  but  for  his  friends."  — 

"  Thus  is  my  clemency  repaid  ? 

Presumptuous  Lord  !  "    the  Monarch  said : 

"  Of  thy  misproud  ambitious  clan,  740 

Thou,  James  of  Bothwell,  wert  the  man. 

The  only  man,  in  whom  a  foe 

My  woman-mercy  would  not  know ; 

724.   Buffet.     A  blow  with  the  hand ;  a  cuff. 

738.  Clemency.    Mercy. —740.  Misproud.     Mistakenly  proud. 


CANTO   V. 


THE   COMBAT.  171 


But  shall  a  Monarch's  presence  brook 

Injurious  blow  and  haughty  look  ?  —  745 

What  ho  !    the  Captam  of  our  Guard !  ^ 

Give  the  offender  fitting  ward.  — 

Break  off  the  sports  !  "  —  for  tumult  rose, 

And  yeomen  'gan  to  bend  their  bows,  — 

"  Break  off  the  sports  !  "  he  said  and  frowned,      750 

"  And  bid  our  horsemen  clear  the  ground." 

XXVII. 

Then  uproar  wild  and  misarray 

Marred  the  fair  form  of  festal  day. 

The  horsemen  pricked  among  the  crowd, 

Repelled  by  threats  and  insult  loud;  755 

To  earth  are  borne  the  old  and  weak. 

The  timorous  fly,  the  women  shriek ; 

With  flint,  with  shaft,  with  staff,  with  bar, 

The  hardier  urge  tumultuous  war. 

At  once  round  Douglas  darkly  sweep  760 

The  royal  spears  in  circle  deep. 

And  slowly  scale  the  pathway  steep. 

While  on  the  rear  in  thunder  pour 

The  rabble  with  disordered  roar. 

With  grief  the  noble  Douglas  saw  765 

The  Commons  rise  against  the  law, 

And  to  the  leading  soldier  said : 

"  Sir  John  of  Hyndford,  'twas  my  blade 

That  knighthood  on  thy  shoulder  laid ; 

747.  Fitting  ward.     Suitable  confinement  under  guard. 

700.  Knighthood.  This  degree  was  conferred  with  a  stroke  of  the  flat 
part  of  a  sword  upon  the  shoulder  by  the  prince  or  his  representative.  See 
note,  Canto  I.,  line  18. 


172  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 

For  that  good  deed  permit  me  then  770 

A  word  with  these  misguided  men.  — 

XXVIII. 

"  Hear,  gentle  friends,  ere  yet  for  me 

Ye  break  the  bands  of  fealty. 

My  life,  my  honor,  and  my  cause, 

I  tender  free  to  Scotland's  laws.  775 

Are  these  so  weak  as  must  require 

The  aid  of  your  misguided  ire  ? 

Or  if  I  suffer  causeless  wrong. 

Is  then  my  selfish  rage  so  strong, 

My  sense  of  public  weal  so  low,  780 

That,  for  mean  vengeance  on  a  foe, 

Those  cords  of  love  I  should  unbind 

Which  knit  my  country  and  my  kind  ? 

O  no  !     Believe,  in  yonder  tower 

It  will  not  soothe  my  captive  hour,  785 

To  know  those  sj)ears  our  foes  should  dread 

For  me  in  kindred  gore  are  red : 

To  know,  in  fruitless  brawl  begun. 

For  me  that  mother  wails  her  son. 

For  me  that  widow's  mate  expires,  790 

For  me  that  orphans  weep  their  sires, 

That  patriots  mourn  insulted  laws. 

And  curse  the  Douglas  for  the  cause. 

O  let  your  patience  ward  such  ill. 

And  keep  your  right  to  love  me  still !  "  795 

773.  Fealty.    Loyalty. 


CANTO    V. 


THE   COMBAT.  173 


XXIX. 

The  crowd's  wild  fury  sunk  again 

In  tears,  as  tempests  melt  in  rain. 

With  lifted  hands  and  eyes,  they  prayed 

For  blessings  on  his  generous  head 

Who  for  his  country  felt  alone,  800 

And  prized  her  blood  beyond  his  own. 

Old  men  upon  the  verge  of  life 

Blessed  him  who  stayed  the  civil  strife ; 

And  mothers  held  their  babes  on  high. 

The  self-devoted  Chief  to  spy,  805 

Triumphant  over  wrongs  and  ire. 

To  whom  the  prattlers  owed  a  sire. 

Even  the  rough  soldier's  heart  was  moved ; 

As  if  behind  some  bier  beloved. 

With  trailing  arms  and  drooping  head,  8io 

The  Douglas  up  the  hill  he  led, 

And  at  the  Castle's  battled  verge. 

With  sighs  resigned  his  honored  charge. 

XXX. 

The  offended  Monarch  rode  apart. 

With  bitter  thought  and  swelling  heart,  815 

And  would  not  now  vouchsafe  again 

Through  Stirling  streets  to  lead  his  train. 

"  O  Lennox,  who  would  wish  to  rule 

This  changeling  crowd,  this  common  fool? 

Hear'st  thou,"  he  said,  "  the  loud  acclaim  820 

With  which  they  shout  the  Douglas  name  ? 

810.   Trailing  arms.     Carrying  a  gun  in  an  oblique  position,  pointing 
forward  with  the  breech  near  tlie  ground. 

812.  Battled  Verge.     See  note,  Canto  I.,  line  199. 


174  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  v. 

With  like  acclaim  the  vulgar  throat 

Strained  for  King  James  their  morning  note ; 

With  like  acclaim  thev  hailed  the  dav 

When  first  I  broke  the  Douglas  sway ;  825 

And  like  acclaim  would  Douglas  greet 

If  he  could  hurl  me  from  my  seat. 

Who  o'er  the  herd  would  wish  to  reign, 

Fantastic,  fickle,  fierce,  and  vain  ? 

Vain  as  the  leaf  upon  the  stream,  830 

And  fickle  as  a  changeful  dream ; 

Fantastic  as  a  woman's  mood. 

And  fierce  as  Frenzy's  fevered  blood. 

Thou  many-headed  monster-thing, 

0  Avho  would  Avish  to  be  thy  king  ?  —  835 

XXXI. 

"  But  soft !  what  messenger  of  speed 
Spurs  hitherward  his  panting  steed  ? 

1  guess  his  cognizance  afar  — 

What  from  our  cousin,  John  of  Mar?" 

"  He  prays,  my  liege,  your  sports  keep  bound  8io 

Within  the  safe  and  guarded  ground : 

For  some  foul  purpose  yet  unknown,  — 

Most  sure  for  evil  to  the  throne,  — 

The  outlawed  Chieftain,  Roderick  Dhu, 

Has  summoned  his  rebellious  crew ;  845 

'Tis  said,  in  James  of  Bothwell's  aid 

These  loose  banditti  stand  arraj^ed. 

The  Earl  of  Mar  this  morn  from  Doune 

To  break  their  muster  marched,  and  soon 

838.   Cognizance.     A  badge  by  which  a  knight  in  armor  could  be  recog- 
nized.—847.   Banditti.     Robbers. 


CANTO   V. 


THE   COMBAT.  175 

Your  Grace  will  hear  of  battle  fought ;  850 

But  earnestly  the  Earl  besought, 
Till  for  such  danger  he  provide, 
With  scanty  train  you  will  not  ride." 

XXXII. 

"  Thou  warn'st  me  I  have  done  amiss,  — 

I  should  have  earlier  looked  to  this;  855 

I  lost  it  in  this  bustling  day. — 

Retrace  with  speed  thy  former  way ; 

Spare  not  for  spoiling  of  thy  steed, 

The  best  of  mine  shall  be  thy  meed. 

Say  to  our  faithful  Lord  of  Mar,  860 

We  do  forbid  the  intended  war ; 

Roderick  this  morn  in  single  fight 

Was  made  our  prisoner  by  a  knight, 

And  Douglas  hath  himself  and  cause 

Submitted  to  our  kingdom's  laws.  865 

The  tidings  of  their  leaders  lost 

Will  soon  dissolve  the  mountain  host, 

Nor  would  we  that  the  vulgar  feel. 

For  their  Chiefs  crimes,  avenging  steel. 

Bear  Mar  our  message,  Braco,  fly  !  870 

He  turned  his  steed,  —  "  My  liege,  I  hie, 

Yet  ere  I  cross  this  lily  lawn 

I  fear  the  broadswords  will  be  drawn." 

The  turf  the  flying  courser  spurned. 

And  to  his  towers  the  King  returned.  875 

868.   Vulgar.    Common  people. 


176  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  r. 

xxxni. 

Ill  with  King  James's  mood  that  day 

Suited  gay  feast  and  minstrel  lay ; 

Soon  were  dismissed  the  courtly  throng, 

And  soon  cut  short  the  festal  song. 

Nor  less  upon  the  saddened  town  88o 

The  evening  sunk  in  sorrow  down. 

The  burghers  spoke  of  civil  jar, 

Of  rumored  feuds  and  mountain  war. 

Of  Moray,  Mar,  and  Roderick  Dhu, 

All  up  in  arms  ;  —  the  Douglas  too,  885 

They  mourned  him  pent  within  the  hold, 

"Where  stout  Earl  William  was  of  old."  — 

And  there  his  word  the  speaker  stayed. 

And  finger  on  his  lip  he  laid. 

Or  pointed  to  his  dagger  blade.  890 

But  jaded  horsemen  from  the  west 

At  evening  to  the  Castle  pressed. 

And  busy  talkers  said  they  bore 

Tidings  of  fight  on  Katrine's  shore ; 

At  noon  the  deadly  fray  begun,  895 

And  lasted  till  the  set  of  sun. 

Thus  giddy  rumor  shook  the  town, 

Till  closed  the  Night  her  pennons  brown.  V^/^-M'  ^ 

887.  Earl  William.     Note,  Canto  V.,  line  550. 


OUTLINE   OF   CAXTO   SIXTH. 


This  Canto  introduces  us  to  the  guard-room  in  Stirling  Castle, 
amid  the  remains  of  the  debauch  which  has  followed  the  games  of  the 
previous  day.  "While  the  few  soldiers  who  remain  awake  are  finish- 
ing their  carouse,  and  talking  over  the  rumors  of  yesterday's  battle, 
they  are  joined  by  one  of  their  mates  who  has  been  in  the  field, 
and  brings  with  hini  a  maiden  and  a  minstrel  (Ellen  and  Allan 
Bane).  They  are  at  first  disposed  to  treat  the  maiden  roughly, 
but  the  sight  of  her  innocent  beauty  and  her  story  of  misfortune 
touch  the  heart  of  one  of  the  roughest  in  the  company,  who  be- 
comes her  champion.  Presently  they  are  joined  by  the  officer  of 
the  guard,  who,  at  sight  of  Fitz-James's  ring,  commits  the  lady  to 
proper  care,  while  John  of  Brent,  the  guardsman  who  had  inter- 
fered, grants  Allan's  request  to  see  his  master  ;  but,  fancying  that 
the  minstrel  is  one  of  Roderick's  clansmen,  he  shows  him  into  the 
wrong  cell,  where  he  finds  the  wounded  chief.  After  anxious 
inquiries  as  to  the  safety  of  his  kindred,  Roderick  asks  news  of  the 
fight,  and  the  minstrel,  in  spii'ited  verse,  sings  the  battle  of  Beal' 
an  Duine,  whose  issue  was  left  doubtful  by  the  arrival  of  a  mes- 
senger from  the  king  with  orders  to  stay  the  fight.  But  before  he 
had  finished  his  song  the  stern  spirit  had  fled,  and  the  minstrel's 
harp  changes  its  tune  from  battle-song  to  death-dirge. 

Meanwhile  Ellen  waits  anxiously  and  impatiently  for  her  audience 
with  the  king.  At  last  Fitz-James  appears  to  escort  her  to  the 
audience  chamber.  Faltering,  she  looks  round  to  find  the  king, 
and  sees,  to  her  surprise,  that  her  companion  alone  remains  covered, 
and  "  Snowdoun's  knight  is  Scotland's  king."  He  tells  her  how 
the  feud  with  Douglas  is  at  an  end,  and  that  her  father  is  now  to 
be  "  the  friend  and  bulwark  of  his  throne."  But  she  has  still  the 
ring,  still  some  boon  to  ask.  She  begs  for  Roderick's  life,  but  that 
is  past  giving  ;  and  when  she  shrinks  from  further  request,  "the  king 
calls  forth  Malcolm,  and  throws  over  him  a  golden  chain,  which  he 
gives  to  Ellen  to  keep.  —  Taylor. 


THE   GUARD-ROOM. 
I. 

The  sun,  awakening,  through  the  smoky  air 

Of  the  dark  city  casts  a  sullen  glance, 
Rousing  each  caitiff  to  his  task  of  care, 

Of  sinful  man  the  sad  inheritance ; 
Summoning  revellers  from  the  lagging  dance,  5 

Scaring  the  prowlhig  robber  to  his  den ; 
Gilding  on  battled  tower  the  warder's  lance. 

And  warning  student  pale  to  leave  his  pen. 
And  yield  his  drowsy  eyes  to  the  kind  nurse  of  men. 

What  various  scenes,  and  O,  what  scenes  of  woe,         lo 

Are  witnessed  by  that  red  and  struggling  beam ! 
The  fevered  patient,  from  his  pallet  low, 

Through  crowded  hospital  beholds  it  stream ; 
The  ruined  maiden  trembles  at  its  gleam. 

The  debtor  wakes  to  thought  of  gyve  and  jail,  15 

The  love-lorn  wretch  starts  from  tormenting  dream ; 

The  wakeful  mother,  by  the  glimmering  pale. 
Trims  her  sick  infant's  couch,  and  soothes  his  feeble  wail. 

II. 
At  dawn  the  towers  of  Stirling  rang 
With  soldier-step  and  weapon-clang,  20 

3.   Caitiff.    Miserable  wretch.  — 12.  Pallet.    Bed  of  straw. 
15.   Gyve  [jiv].    A  fetter  or  chain  to  confine  the  legs. 


CANTO    VI. 


THE   GUARD-KOOM.  179 


While  drums  with  rolling  note  foretell 

Relief  to  wear}-  sentinel. 

Through  narrow  loop  and  casement  barred, 

The  sunbeams  sought  the  Court  of  Guard, 

And,  struggling  with  the  smoky  air,  25 

Deadened  the  torches'  yellow  glare. 

In  comfortless  alliance  shone 

The  lights  through  arch  of  blackened  stone, 

And  showed  wild  shapes  in  garb  of  war. 

Faces  deformed  with  beard  and  scar,  30 

All  haggard  from  the  midnight  watch, 

And  fevered  with  the  stern  debauch ; 

For  the  oak  table's  massive  board. 

Flooded  with  wine,  with  fragments  stored. 

And  beakers  drained,  and  cups  o'erthrown,  35 

Showed  in  what  sport  the  night  had  flown. 

Some,  weary,  snored  on  floor  and  bench ; 

Some  labored  still  their  thirst  to  quench ; 

Some,  chilled  with  watching,  spread  their  hands 

O'er  the  huge  chimney's  dying  brands,  -io 

While  round  them,  or  beside  them  flung, 

At  every  step  their  harness  rung. 


III. 

These  drew  not  for  their  fields  the  sword, 

Like  tenants  of  a  feudal  lord. 

Nor  owned  the  patriarchal  claim  45 

Of  Chieftain  in  their  leader's  name ; 

23.   Loop.     Loop-hole  ;   a  narrow  opening  in  a   fortification  through 
which  small  arms  are  discharged.  —  Casement.     Window. 

35.  Beakers.    Large  drinkiug-cups. —42.  Harness.    Armor. 


180  THE   LADY   OF  THE   LAKE.  caxto  vi. 

Adventurers  they,  from  far  who  roved, 

To  live  by  battle  which  they  loved. 

There  the  Italian's  clouded  face. 

The  swarthy  Spaniard's  there  you  trace ;  50 

The  mountain-loving  Switzer  there 

More  freely  breathed  in  mountain-air ; 

The  Fleming  there  desj)ised  the  soil 

That  paid  so  ill  the  laborer's  toil ; 

Their  rolls  showed  French  and  German  name ;      55 

And  merry  England's  exiles  came, 

To  share,  with  ill-concealed  disdain, 

Of  Scotland's  pay  the  scanty  gain. 

All  brave  in  arms,  well  trained  to  wield 

The  heavy  halberd,  brand,  and  shield ;  60 

In  camps  licentious,  wild,  and  bold ; 

In  pillage  fierce  and  uncontrolled ; 

And  now,  by  holytide  and  feast, 

From  rules  of  discipline  released. 


IV. 

They  held  debate  of  bloody  fray,  65 

Fought  'twixt  Loch  Katrine  and  Achray. 
Fierce  was  their  speech,  and  'mid  their  words 
Their  hands  oft  grappled  to  their  swords ; 

47.  Adventurers.  The  Scottish  armies  consisted  chiefly  of  the  nobility 
and  barons,  with  their  vassals,  who  held  lands  under  them,  for  military 
service  by  themselves  and  their  tenants.  James  V.  seems  first  to  have 
introduced,  in  addition  to  the  militia  furnished  from  these  sources,  the 
service  of  a  small  number  of  mercenaries,  who  formed  a  body-guard,  called 
the  Foot-Band,    Scott. —  51.   Switzer.     An  inhabitant  of  Switzerland. 

53.  Fleming.     A  citizen  of  Flanders,  now  part  of  Belgium. 

60.  Halberd.     A  kind  of  broad  axe  now  rarely  used. 

63.  Holytide.    Holiday;  festal  season  (tide  means  time). 


CANTO  VI.  THE    GUARD-ROOM.  181 

Nor  sunk  their  tone  to  spare  the  ear 

Of  wounded  comrades  groaning  near,  70 

Whose  mangled  limbs  and  bodies  gored 

Bore  token  of  the  mountain  sword, 

Though,  neighboring  to  the  Court  of  Guard, 

Their  prayers  and  feverish  wails  were  heard,  — 

Sad  burden  to  the  ruffian  joke,  75 

And  savage  oath  by  fury  spoke  !  — 

At  length  up  started  John  of  Brent, 

A  yeoman  from  the  banks  of  Trent ; 

A  stranger  to  respect  or  fear. 

In  peace  a  chaser  of  the  deer,  80 

In  host  a  hardy  mutineer. 

But  still  the  boldest  of  the  crew 

When  deed  of  danger  was  to  do. 

He  grieved  that  day  their  games  cut  short. 

And  marred  the  dicer's  brawling  sport,  85 

And  shouted  loud,  "  Renew  the  bowl ! 

And,  while  a  merry  catch  I  troll, 

Let  each  the  buxom  chorus  bear. 

Like  brethren  of  the  brand  and  spear." 

V. 

Our  vicar  still  preaches  that  Peter  and  Poule  90 

Laid  a  swinging  long  curse  on  the  bonny  brown  bowl. 
That  there's  wrath  and  despair  in  the  jolly  black-jack. 
And  the  seven  deadly  sins  in  a  flagon  of  sack ; 

71.   Gored.     Pierced  and  torn.  —  81.   Host.   An  army. 

87.  Troll.     Sing  loudly. —88.   Buxom.     Brisk;  frolicsome. 

92.  Black-jack.    A  pitcher  made  of  leather-colored  black. 


182  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  oanto  ri. 

Yet  whoop,  Barnaby  !  off  with  thy  liquor, 
Drink  upsees  out,  and  a  fig  for  the  vicar ! 

Our  vicar  he  calls  it  damnation  to  sip 
The  ripe  ruddy  dew  of  a  woman's  dear  lip, 
Says  that  Beelzebub  lurks  in  her  kerchief  so  sly, 
And  Apollyon  shoots  darts  from  her  merry  black  eye ; 
Yet  whoop,  Jack  !  kiss  Gillian  the  quicker,  lOO 

Till  she  bloom  like  a  rose,  and  a  fig  for  the  vicar ! 

Our  vicar  thus  preaches,  —  and  why  should  he  not  ? 
For  the  dues  of  his  cure  are  the  placket  and  pot ;  ^-t^ 
And  'tis  right  of  his  office  poor  laymen  to  lurch 
Who  infringe  the  domains  of  our  good  Mother  Church.  105 
Yet  whoop,  bully-boys !  off  with  your  liquor, 
Sweet  Marjorie's  the  word,  and  a  fig  for  the  vicar ! 

VI. 

The  warder's  challenge,  heard  without, 

Stayed  in  mid-roar  the  merry  shout. 

A  soldier  to  the  portal  went,  —  no 

"Here  is  old  Bertram,  sirs,  of  Ghent; 

And  —  beat  for  jubilee  the  drum !  — 

A  maid  and  minstrel  wdth  him  come." 

Bertram,  a  Fleming,  gray  and  scarred. 

Was  entering  now  the  Court  of  Guard,  lis 

A  harper  with  him,  and,  in  plaid 

All  muffled  close,  a  mountain  maid, 

Who  backward  shrunk  to  'scape  the  view 

Of  the  loose  scene  and  boisterous  crew. 

"  What  news ? "  they  roared :  —  "I  only  know,     120 

From  noon  till  eve  we  fought  with  foe, 


CANTO  VI.  THE   GUARD-ROOM.  183 

As  wild  and  as  untamable 

As  the  rude  mountains  where  they  dwell ; 

On  both  sides  store  of  blood  is  lost, 

Nor  much  success  can  either  boast."  —  125 

"But  whence  thy  captives,  friend?  such  spoil 

As  theirs  must  needs  reward  thy  toil. 

Old  dost  thou  wax,  and  wars  grow  sharp ; 

Thou  now  hast  glee-maiden  and  harp ! 

Get  thee  an  ape,  and  trudge  the  land,  130 

The  leader  of  a  juggler  band." 

VII. 

"  No,  comrade  ;  —  no  such  fortune  mine. 
After  the  fight  these  sought  our  line. 
That  aged  harper  and  the  girl. 
And,  having  audience  of  the  Earl,  135 

Mar  bade  I  should  purvey  them  steed. 
And  bring  them  hitherward  with  speed. 
Forbear  your  mirth  and  rude  alarm. 
For  none  shall  do  them  shame  or  harm."  — 
"  Hear  ye  his  boast  ?  "  cried  John  of  Brent,  140 

j^ver  to  strife  and  jangling  bent ; 
^^'  Shall  he  strike  doe  beside  our  lodge, 
.  And  yet  the  jealous  niggard  grudge 
To  pay  the  forester  his  fee  ^ 

I'll  have  my  share  howe'er  it  be,  145 

Despite  of  Moray,  Mar,  or  thee." 

131.  Juggler.  The  jugglers  used  to  call  in  the  aid  of  various  assistants 
to  render  these  performances  as  captivating  as  possible.  The  glee-maiden 
was  a  necessary  attendant.  Her  duty  was  tumbling  and  dancing;  and, 
therefore,  the  Anglo-Saxon  version  of  Saint  Mark's  Gospel  states  Herodias 
to  have  vaulted  or  tumbled  before  King  Herod.    Scott. 

ISO.   Purvey.     Provide. 


184  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  vi. 

Bertram  his  forward  step  withstood ; 

And,  burning  in  his  vengeful  mood, 

Old  Allan,  though  unfit  for  strife, 

Laid  hand  upon  his  dagger-knife  ;  150 

But  Ellen  boldly  stepped  between, 

And  dropped  at  once  the  tartan  screen :  — 

So,  from  his  morning  cloud,  appears 

The  sun  of  May  through  summer  tears. 

The  savage  soldiery,  amazed,  155 

As  on  descended  angel  gazed ; 

Even  hardy  Brent,  abashed  and  tamed. 

Stood  half  admiring,  half  ashamed. 

VIII. 

Boldly  she  spoke  :  "  Soldiers,  attend  ! 

My  father  was  the  soldier's  friend,  160 

Cheered  him  in  camps,  in  marches  led, 

And  with  him  in  the  battle  bled. 

Not  from  the  valiant  or  the  strong" 

Should  exile's  daughter  suffer  wrong." 

Answered  De  Brent,  most  forward  still  165 

In  every  feat  of  good  or  ill ; 

"  I  shame  me  of  the  part  I  played  ; 

And  thou  an  outlaw's  child,  poor  maid  1 

An  outlaw  I  by  forest  laws. 

And  merry  Needwood  knows  the  cause.  170 

Poor  Rose,  — if  Rose  be  living  now,"  — 

He  wiped  his  iron  eye  and  brow,  — 

"  Must  bear  such  age,  I  think,  as  thou.  — 

Hear  ye,  my  mates  !  I  go  to  call 

The  Captain  of  our  watch  to  hall :  175 

170.    Needwood.     A  royal  forest  in  England. 


CANTO  VI.  THE   GUARD-ROOM.  185 

There  lies  my  halberd  on  the  floor  ; 

And  he  that  steps  my  halberd  o'er, 

To  do  the  maid  injurious  part, 

My  shaft  shall  quiver  in  his  heart ! 

Beware  loose  speech,  or  jesting  rough ;  180 

Ye  all  know  John  de  Brent.     Enough." 

IX. 

Their  Captain  came,  a  gallant  young,  — 

Of  Tullibardine's  house  he  sprung,  — 

Nor  wore  he  yet  the  spurs  of  knight ; 

Gay  was  his  mien,  his  humor  light,  185 

And,  though  by  courtesy  controlled, 

Forward  his  speech,  his  bearing  bold. 

The  liigh-born  maiden  ill  could  brook 

The  scanning  of  his  curious  look 

And  dauntless  eye  :  —  and  yet,  in  sooth,  190 

Young  Lewis  was  a  generous  youth ; 

But  Ellen's  lovely  face  and  mien, 

111  suited  to  the  garb  and  scene. 

Might  lightly  bear  construction  strange, 

And  give  loose  fancy  scope  to  range.  195 

"  Welcome  to  Stirling  towers,  fair  maid ! 

Come  ye  to  seek  a  champion's  aid, 

On  palfrey  white,  with  harper  hoar. 

Like  errant  damosel  of  yore  ? 

Does  thy  high  quest  a  knight  require,  200 

Or  may  the  venture  suit  a  squire  ?  " 

Her  dark  eje  flashed  ;  —  she  paused  and  sighed  :  — 

"  O  what  have  I  to  do  with  pride  !  — 

183.  Tullibardine's  house.    The  seat  of  the  Miirrays,  who  were  noted 
for  their  pride.  —  VX).   Errant  damosel.     Wandering  maiden. 


186  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  vi. 

Through  scenes  of  sorrow,  shame,  and  strife, 

A  suppliant  for  a  father's  Ufe,  205 

I  crave  an  audience  of  the  King. 

Behold,  to  back  my  suit,  a  ring, 

The  royal  pledge  of  grateful  claims, 

Given  by  the  Monarch  to  Fitz-James." 

X. 

The  signet  ring  young  Lewis  took  210 

With  deep  respect  and  altered  look. 

And  said  :  "  This  ring  our  duties  own  ;  ♦ 

And  pardon,  if  to  worth  unknown. 

In  semblance  mean  obscurely  veiled, 

Lady,  in  aught  my  folly  failed.  215 

Soon  as  the  day  flings  wide  his  gates, 

The  King  shall  know  what  suitor  waits. 

Please  you  meanwhile  in  fitting  bower 

Repose  you  till  his  waking  hour ; 

Female  attendance  shall  obey  220 

Your  hest,  for  service  or  array. 

Permit  I  marshal  you  the  way." 

But,  ere  she  followed,  with  the  grace 

And  open  bounty  of  her  race. 

She  bade  her  slender  purse  be  shared  225 

Among  the  soldiers  of  the  guard. 

The  rest  with  thanks  their  guerdon  took, 

But  Brent,  with  shy  and  awkward  look. 

On  the  reluctant  maiden's  hold 

Forced  bluntly  back  the  proffered  gold :  —  230 

"  Forgive  a  haughty  English  heart. 

And  O,  forget  its  ruder  part ! 

221.   Array.    Dress.— 227.   Guerdon.     Qitt;  reward. 


CANTO  VI.  THE   GUARD-ROOM.  187 

The  vacant  purse  shall  be  my  share, 

Which  in  my  barret-cap  I'll  bear, 

Perchance,  in  jeopardy  of  war,  235 

Where  gayer  crests  may  keep  afar." 

With  thanks  —  'twas  all  she  could — the  maid 

His  rugged  courtes}-  repaid. 

XI. 

When  Ellen  forth  with  Lewis  went, 

Allan  made  suit  to  John  of  Brent :  —  240 

''  My  lady  safe,  O  let  your  grace 

Give  me  to  see  my  master's  face  I 

His  minstrel  I,  —  to  share  his  doom 

Bound  from  the  cradle  to  the  tomb. 

Tenth  in  descent,  since  first  my  sires  245 

Waked  for  his  noble  house  their  lyres. 

Nor  one  of  all  the  race  Avas  known 

But  prized  its  weal  above  their  own. 

With  the  Chief's  birth  begins  our  care ; 

Our  harp  must  soothe  the  infant  heir,  250 

Teach  the  youth  tales  of  fight,  and  grace 

His  earliest  feat  of  field  or  chase ; 

In  peace,  in  war,  our  rank  we  keep. 

We  cheer  his  board,  we  soothe  his  sleep. 

Nor  leave  him  till  we  pour  our  verse  —  255 

A  doleful  tribute  I  —  o'er  his  hearse. 

Then  let  me  share  his  captive  lot ; 

It  is  my  right,  —  deny  it  not !  " 

"  Little  we  reck,"  said  John  of  Brent, 

"  We  southern  men,  of  long  descent ;  260 

234.  Barret-cap.     A  cap  formerly  worn  by  soldiers. 

235.  Jeopardy.     Peril. 


188  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  vi. 

Nor  wot  we  how  a  name  —  a  word  — 

Makes  clansmen  vassals  to  a  lord : 

Yet  kind  m}"  noble  landlord's  part, — 

God  bless  the  house  of  BeaudesertU 

And,  but  I  loved  to  drive  the  deer  265 

More  than  to  guide  the  laboring  steer, 

I  had  not  dwelt  an  outcast  here. 

Come,  good  old  Minstrel,  follow  me ; 

Thy  Lord  and  Chieftain  shalt  thou  see." 


XII. 

Then,  from  a  rusted  iron  hook,  270 

A  bunch  of  ponderous  keys  he  took, 

Lighted  a  torch,  and  Allan  led 

Through  grated  arch  and  passage  dread. 

Portals  they  passed,  where,  deep  Avithin, 

Spoke  prisoner's  moan  and  fetters'  din  ;  275 

Through  rugged  vaults,  where,  loosely  stored, 

Lay  wheel,  and  axe,  and  headsman's  sword. 

And  many  a  hideous  engine  grim. 

For  wrenching  joint  and  crushing  limb, 

By  artists  formed  who  deemed  it  shame  280 

And  sin  to  give  their  work  a  name. 

They  halted  at  a  low-browed  porch, 

And  Brent  to  Allan  gave  the  torch, 

While  bolt  and  chain  he  backward  rolled. 

And  made  the  bar  uuhasp  its  hold.  285 

They  entered :  — 'twas  a  prison-room 

Of  stern  security  and  gloom. 

Yet  not  a  dungeon ;  for  the  day 

Through  lofty  gratings  found  its  way. 


CANTO  VI.  THE    GUARD-ROOM.  189 

And  rude  and  antique  garniture  290 

Decked  the  sad  walls  and  oaken  floor, 

Such  as  the  rugged  days  of  old 

Deemed  fit  for  captive  noble's  hold. 

''  Here,"  said  De  Brent,  "  thou  niajst  remain 

Till  the  Leech  visit  him  again.  295 

Strict  is  his  charge,  the  warders  tell, 

To  tend  the  noble  prisoner  well." 

Retiring  then  the  bolt  he  drew, 

And  the  lock's  murmurs  growled  anew. 

Roused  at  the  sound,  from  lowlv  bed  300 

A  captive  feebly  raised  his  head ; 

The  wondering  Minstrel  looked,  and  knew  — 

Not  his  dear  lord,  but  Roderick  Dhu  ! 

For,  come  from  where  Clan-Alpine  fought, 

They,  erring,  deemed  the  Chief  he  sought.  .  305 


XIII. 

As  the  tall  ship,  whose  lofty  prore 

Shall  never  stem  the  billows  more, 

Deserted  by  her  gallant  band. 

Amid  the  breakers  lies  astrand,  — 

So  on  his  couch  lay  Roderick  Dhu  !  3io 

And  oft  his  fevered  limbs  he  threw 

In  toss  abrupt,  as  when  her  sides 

Lie  rocking  in  the  advancing  tides. 

That  shake  her  frame  with  ceaseless  beat, 

Yet  cannot  heave  her  from  her  seat ;  —  315 

290.  Antique  garniture.    Ancient  decoration  or  furnishings. 
295.   Leech.    Pli^si<!ian.  —  30G.  Prore.    The  prow  or  forward  part  of  a 
ship.  —  309.  Astrand.     Ashore. 


190  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  vi. 

O,  how  unlike  her  course  at  sea ! 

Or  his  free  step  on  hill  and  lea !  — 

Soon  as  the  Minstrel  he  could  scan,  — 

"  What  of  thy  lady  ?  —  of  my  clan  ?  — 

My  mother  ?  —  Douglas  ?  —  tell  me  all !  320 

Have  they  been  ruined  in  my  fall  ? 

Ah,  yes  I  or  wherefore  art  thou  here  ? 

Yet  speak,  —  speak  boldly,  —  do  not  fear."  — 

For  Allan,  who  his  mood  well  knew. 

Was  choked  wdth  grief  and  terror  too.  —  325 

"  Who  fought  ?  —  who  fled  ?  —  Old  man,  be  brief ;  — 

Some  might,  —  for  they  had  lost  their  Chief. 

Who  basely  live  ?  —  who  bravely  died  ?  " 

"  O,  calm  thee,  Chief  I  "  the  Minstrel  cried, 

"  Ellen  is  safe  !  "     '^  For  that  thank  Heaven  I  "     330 

"  And  hopes  are  for  the  Douglas  given  ;  — 

The  Lady  Margaret,  too,  is  well ; 

And,  for  thy  clan,  —  on  field  or  fell. 

Has  never  harp  of  minstrel  told 

Of  combat  fought  so  true  and  bold.  335 

Thy  stately  Pine  is  yet  unbent, 

Though  many  a  goodly  bough  is  rent." 

XIV. 

The  Chieftain  reared  his  form  on  high, 

And  fever's  fire  was  in  his  eye  ; 

But  ghastly,  pale,  and  livid  streaks  340 

Checkered  his  swarthy  brow  and  cheeks. 

*'  Hark,  Minstrel !  I  have  heard  thee  play, 

With  measure  bold  on  festal  day. 

In  yon  lone  isle,  —  again  where  ne'er 

Shall  harper  play  or  warrior  hear  !  —  345 


CANTO  VI.  THE   GUARD-ROOM.  191 

That  stirring  air  that  peals  on  high, 

O'er  Dermid's  race  our  victory.  — 

Strike  it!  —  and  then,  —  for  Avell  thou  canst, — 

Free  from  thy  minstrel-spirit  glanced, 

Fling  me  the  picture  of  the  fight,  350 

When  met  my  clan  the  Saxon  might. 

I'll  listen,  till  my  fancy  hears 

The  clang  of  swords,  the  crash  of  spears ! 

These  grates,  these  walls,  shall  vanish  then 

For  the  fair  field  of  fighting  men,  355 

And  my  free  spirit  burst  away. 

As  if  it  soared  from  battle  fray." 

The  trembling  Bard  with  awe  obeyed,  — 

Slow  on  the  harp  his  hand  he  laid ; 

But  soon  remembrance  of  the  sight  360 

He  witnessed  from  the  mountain's  height, 

With  w^hat  old  Bertram  told  at  night, 

Awakened  the  full  power  of  song, 

And  bore  him  in  career  along  ;  — 

As  shallop  launched  on  river's  tide,  365 

That  slow  and  fearful  leaves  the  side. 

But,  when  it  feels  the  middle  stream, 

Drives  downward  swift  as  lightning's  beam. 

XV. 

§Mt  of  §car  an  guinc. 

"  The  Minstrel  came  once  more  to  view 

The  eastern  ridge  of  Benvenue,  370 

365.  Shallop.  Boat.  —  369.  Battle  of  Beal'  an  Duine.  A  skirmish 
actually  took  place  at  a  pass  thus  called  in  the  Trosachs,  and  closed  with 
the  remarkable  incident  mentioned  in  the  text.  It  was  greatly  posterior 
in  date  to  the  reign  of  James  V.    Scott. 


192  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  vi. 

For  ere  lie  parted  he  would  say 

Farewell  to  lovely  Loch  Achray  — 

Where  shall  he  find,  in  foreign  land. 

So  lone  a  lake,  so  sweet  a  strand !  — 

There  is  no  breeze  upon  the  fern,  375 

No  ripple  on  the  lake, 
Upon  her  eyry  nods  the  erne. 

The  deer  has  sought  the  brake ; 
The  small  birds  will  not  sing  aloud, 

The  springing  trout  lies  still,  380 

So  darkly  glooms  yon  thunder-cloud. 
That  swathes,  as  with  a  purple  shroud, 

Benledi's  distant  hill. 
Is  it  the  thunder's  solemn  sound 

That  mutters  deep  and  dread,  385 

Or  echoes  from  the  groaning  ground 

The  warrior's  measured  tread  ? 
Is  it  the  lightning's  quivering  glance 

That  on  the  thicket  streams. 
Or  do  they  flash  on  spear  and  lance  390 

The  sun's  retiring  beams?  — 
I  see  the  dagger-crest  of  Mar, 
I  see  the  Moray's  silver  star, 
Wave  o'er  the  cloud  of  Saxon  war. 
That  up  the  lake  comes  winding  far !  395 

To  hero  bound  for  battle-strife. 

Or  bard  of  martial  lay, 
'Twere  worth  ten  years  of  peaceful  life, 

One  glance  at  their  array ! 

377.  Eyry.    The  eagle's  uest.  —  Erne.    The  sea-eagle. 


CANT«  VI.  THE   GUARD-ROOM.  193 

XVI. 

"  Their  light-armed  archers  far  and  near  400 

Surveyed  the  tangled  ground, 
Their  centre  ranks,  with  pike  and  spear, 

A  twilight  forest  frowned, 
Their  barded  horsemen  in  the  rear 

The  stern  battalia  crowned.  405 

No  cymbal  clashed,  no  clarion  rang. 

Still  were  the  pipe  and  drum ; 
Save  heavy  tread,  and  armor's  clang. 

The  sullen  march  was  dumb. 
There  breathed  no  wind  their  crests  to  shake,  4io 

Or  wave  their  flags  abroad  ; 
Scarce  the  frail  aspen  seemed  to  quake, 

That  shadowed  o'er  their  road. 
Their  vaward  scouts  no  tidings  bring. 

Can  rouse  no  lurking  foe,  415 

Nor  spy  a  trace  of  living  thing. 

Save  when  they  stirred  the  roe ; 
The  host  moves  like  a  deep-sea  wave. 
Where  rise  no  rocks  its  pride  to  brave, 

High-swelling,  dark,  and  slow,  420 

The  lake  is  passed,  and  now  they  gain 
A  narrow  and  a  broken  plain. 
Before  the  Trosach's  rugged  jaws ; 
And  here  the  horse  and  spearmen  pause. 
While,  to  explore  the  dangerous  glen,  425 

Dive  through  the  pass  the  archer-men. 

■AOi.  Barded.     Wearing  armor. —405.    Battalia.     Order  of  battle. 

406.  Cymbals.  Brass  musical  iustrumeuts,  circular  iu  form,  which,  being 
struck  together,  produce  a  sharp  ringing  sound. 

414.  Vaward  scouts.  A  small  body  of  men  sent  out  in  advance  of  an 
army  to  gain  information  of  the  enemy. 


194  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  vi. 

XVII. 

"  At  once  there  rose  so  wild  a  yell 
Within  that  dark  and  narrow  dell, 
As  all  the  fiends  from  heaven  that  fell 
Had  pealed  the  banner-cry  of  hell  I  430 

Forth  from  the  pass  in  tnmnlt  driven, 
Like  chaff  before  the  wind  of  heaven. 

The  archery  appear : 
For  life  !  for  life  I  their  flight  they  ply  — 
And  shriek,  and  shout,  and  battle-cry,  435 

And  plaids  and  bonnets  waving  high. 
And  broadswords  flashing  to  the  sky. 

Are  maddening  in  the  rear. 
Onward  they  drive  in  dreadful  race, 

Pursuers  and  pursued  ;  440 

Before  that  tide  of  flight  and  chase. 
How  shall  it  keep  its  rooted  place. 

The  spearmen's  twilight  wood  ?  — 
'  Down,  down,'  cried  Mar,  '  your  lances  down ! 

Bear  back  both  friend  and  foe  1  '  —  445 

Like  reeds  before  the  tempest's  frown, 
That  serried  grove  of  lances  brown 

At  once  lay  levelled  low ; 
And  closely  shouldering  side  to  side. 
The  bristling  ranks  the  onset  bide.  —  460 

'We'll  quell  the  savage  mountaineer, 

As  their  Tinchel  cows  the  game ! 

They  come  as  fleet  as  forest  deer, 

We'll  drive  them  back  as  tame.' 
V 

447.   Serried.    Crowded. 

452.  Tinchel.  A  circle  of  sportsmen,  by  surrounding  a  great  space, 
and  gradually  narrowing,  brought  immense  quantities  of  deer  together, 
which  usually  made  desperate  efforts  to  break  through  the  Tinchel.  Scott. 


CANTO  VI.  THE   GUARD-ROOM.  195 


455 


XVIII. 

"  Bearing  before  them  ia  their  course 
The  relics  of  the  archer  force, 
Like  wave  with  crest  of  sparkling  foam, 
Right  onward  did  Clan-Alpine  come. 
Above  the  tide,  each  broadsword  bright 
Was  brandishing  like  beam  of  light,  400 

Each  targe  was  dark  below ; 
And  with  the  ocean's  mighty  swing,     * 
When  heaving  to  the  tempest's  wing, 
They  hurled  them  on  the  foe. 
I  heard  the  lance's  shivering  crash,  465 

As  when  the  whirlwind  rends  the  ash  ; 
I  heard  the  broadsword's  deadly  clang, 
As  if  a  hundred  anvils  rang  ! 
But  Moray  wheeled  his  rearward  rank 
Of  horsemen  on  Clan-Alpine's  flank,  —  470 

'  My  banner-man,  advance  I 
I  see,'  he  cried,  '  their  column  shake. 
Now,  gallants  !  for  your  ladies'  sake, 

Upon  them  with  the  lance  ! '  — 
The  horsemen  dashed  among  the  rout,  475 

As  deer  break  through  the  broom ; 
Their  steeds  are  stout,  their  swords  are  out, 

They  soon  make  lightsome  room. 
Clan-Alpine's  best  are  backward  borne  — 

Where,  where  was  Roderick  then  !  480 

One  blast  upon  his  bugle-horn 

Were  worth  a  thousand  men. 
And  refluent  through  the  pass  of  fear 
The  battle's  tide  was  poured ; 

483.   Refluent.     Flowing  back :  ebbing. 


196  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  vi. 

Vanished  the  Saxon's  struggling  spear,  485 

Vanished  the  mountain-sword. 
As  Bracklinn's  chasm,  so  black  and  steep, 

Receives  her  roaring  linn, 
As  the  dark  caverns  of  the  deep 

Suck  the  wild  whirlpool  in,  490 

So  did  the  deep  and  darksome  pass 
Devour  the  battle's  mingled  mass ; 
None  linger  now  upon  the  plain, 
Save  those  who  ne'er  shall  fight  again. 

XIX. 

"  Now  westward  rolls  the  battle's  din,  495 

That  deep  and  doubling  pass  within.  — 

Minstrel,  away  !  the  work  of  fate 

Is  bearing  on  ;  its  issue  wait. 

Where  the  rude  Trosachs'  dread  defile 

Opens  on  Katrine's  lake  and  isle.  500 

Gray  Ben  venue  I  soon  repassed. 

Loch  Katrine  lay  beneath  me  cast. 

The  sun  is  set ;  —  the  clouds  are  met, 
The  lowering  scowl  of  heaven 

An  inky  hue  of  livid  blue  505 

To  the  deep  lake  has  given ; 
Strange  gusts  of  wind  from  mountain  glen 
Swept  o'er  the  lake,  then  sunk  again. 
I  heeded  not  the  eddying  surge. 
Mine  eye  but  saw  the  Trosachs'  gorge,  5io 

Mine  ear  but  heard  that  sullen  sound. 
Which  like  an  earthquake  shook  the  ground. 
And  spoke  the  stern  and  desperate  strife 
That  parts  not  but  with  parting  life. 


CANTO  VI.  THE    GUARD-ROOM.  197 

Seeming,  to  minstrel  ear,  to  toll  615 

The  dirge  of  many  a  passing  soul. 

Nearer  it  comes  —  the  dim-wood  olen 

The  martial  flood  disgorged  again, 
But  not  in  mingled  tide  ; 

The  plaided  warriors  of  the  North  520 

High  on  the  mountain  thunder  forth 
And  overhang  its  side. 

While  by  the  lake  below  appears 

The  darkening  cloud  of  Saxon  spears. 

At  weary  bay  each  shattered  band,  625 

Eying  their  foemen,  sternly  stand ; 

Their  banners  stream  like  tattered  sail, 

That  flings  its  fragments  to  the  gale, 

And  broken  arms  and  disarray 

Marked  the  fell  havoc  of  the  day.  530 

XX. 

"  Viewing  the  mountain's  ridge  askance. 
The  Saxons  stood  in  sullen  trance. 
Till  Moray  pointed  with  his  lance. 
And  cried :  '  Behold  yon  isle  !  — 
See  !    none  are  left  to  guard  its  strand  635 

But  women  weak,  that  wring  the  hand : 
'Tis  there  of  yore  the  robber  band 

Their  booty  wont  to  pile  ;  — 
My  purse,  with  bonnet-pieces  store. 
To  him  will  swim  a  bow-shot  o'er,  540 

And  loose  a  shallop  from  the  shore. 

516.   Dirge.     Mournful  music  accompanying  funeral  rites. 

539.  Bonnet  pieces.  A  gold  coin  on  which  the  king's  head  was  rep- 
resented with  a  bonnet  instead  of  a  crown,  coined  by  the  "Commons' 
King."     Taylor. 


198  THE   LADY    OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  vi. 

Lightly  Ave '11  tame  the  war-wolf  then, 

Lords  of  his  mate,  and  brood,  and  den.' 

Forth  from  the  ranks  a  spearman  sprung, 

On  earth  his  casque  and  corselet  rung,  545 

He  plunged  him  in  the  wave  :  — 
All  saw  the  deed,  —  the  purpose  knew, 
And  to  their  clamors  Ben  venue 

A  mingled  echo  gave ; 
The  Saxons  shout,  their  mate  to  cheer,  550 

The  helpless  females  scream  for  fear. 
And  yells  for  rage  the  mountaineer. 
'Twas  then,  as  by  the  outcry  riven, 
Poured  down  at  once  the  lowering  heaven  : 
A  whirlwind  swept  Loch  Katrine's  breast,  555 

Her  billows  reared  their  snowy  crest. 
Well  for  the  swimmer  swelled  tliey  high. 
To  mar  the  Highland  marksman's  eye ; 
For  round  him  showered,  mid  rain  and  hail. 
The  vengeful  arrows  of  the  Gael.  560 

Li  vain.  —  He  nears  the  isle  —  and  lo  ! 
His  hand  is  on  a  shallop's  bow. 
Just  then  a  flash  of  lightning  came. 
It  tinged  the  waves  and  strand  with  flame  ; 
I  marked  Duncraggan's  widowed  dame,  565 

Behind  an  oak  I  saw  her  stand, 
A  naked  dirk  gleamed  in  her  hand :  — 
It  darkened,  —  but  amid  the  moan 
Of  waves  I  heard  a  dying  groan  j  — 
Another  flash  I  —  the  spearman  floats  570 

A  weltering  corse  beside  the  boats, 

545.  Casque.    A  piece  of  armor  for  protecting  the  head  and  neck  in  battle; 
a  hehnet.  —  Corselet.   A  piece  of  armor  for  protecting  the  front  of  the  body. 


CAN-TO  VI.  THE    GUAKD-ROOM.  199 

And  the  stern  matron  o'er  him  stood^ 
Her  hand  and  dagger  streaming  blood. 

XXI. 

"  '  Revenge  I    revenge  ! '    tlie  Saxons  cried, 

The  Gaels'  exulting  shout  replied.  575 

Despite  the  elemental  rage, 

Again  they  hurried  to  engage ; 

But,  ere  they  closed  in  desperate  fight, 

Bloody  with  spurring  came  a  knight. 

Sprung  from  his  horse,  and  from  a  crag  580 

Waved  'twixt  the  hosts  a  milk-white  flag. 

Clarion  and  trumpet  by  his  side 

Rung  forth  a  truce-note  high  and  wide. 

While,  in  the  Monarch's  name,  afar 

A  herald's  voice  forbade  the  war,  585 

For  Bothwell's  lord  and  Roderick  bold 

Were  both,  he  said,  in  captive  hold."  — 

But  here  the  lay  made  sudden  stand, 

The  harp  escaped  the  Minstrel's  hand ! 

Oft  had  he  stolen  a  glance,  to  spy  5[»o 

How  Roderick  brooked  his  minstrelsy : 

At  first,  the  Chieftain,  to  the  chime, 

With  lifted  hand  kept  feeble  time ; 

That  motion  ceased,  — yet  feeling  strong 

Varied  his  look  as  changed  the  song ;  595 

At  length,  no  more  his  deafened  ear 

The  minstrel  melody  can  hear ; 

His  face  grows  sharp,  —  his  hands  are  clenched. 

As  if  some  pang  his  heart-strings  wrenched ; 

Set  are  his  teeth,  his  fading  eye  coo 

Is  sternly  fixed  on  vacancy ; 


200  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  xi. 

Thus,  motionless  and  moanless,  drew 

His  parting  breath  stout  Rederick  Dhu !  — 

Old  Allan-bane  looked  on  aghast, 

While  grim  and  still  his  spirit  jDassed ;  605 

But  when  he  saw  that  life  was  fled. 

He  poured  his  wailing  o'er  the  dead. 

XXII. 

ITamenl. 

"  And  art  thou  cold  and  lowly  laid, 

Thy  foeman's  dread,  thy  peo^^le's  aid, 

Breadalbane's  boast.  Clan- Alpine's  shade  I   .  6if 

For  thee  shall  none  a  requiem  say?  — 

For  thee,  who  loved  the  minstrel's  lay^ 

For  thee,  of  Bothwell's  house  the  stay^ 

The  shelter  of  her  exiled  line, 

E'en  in  this  prison-house  of  thine,  615 

I'll  wail  for  Alpine's  honored  Pine ! 

"  What  groans  shall  yonder  valleys  fill ! 

What  shrieks  of  grief  shall  rend  yon  hill ! 

What  tears  of  burning  rage  shall  thrill. 

When  mourns  thy  tribe  thy  battles  done,  62i 

Thy  fall  before  the  race  was  won,  ,      ip  )^ 

Thy  sword  ungirt  ere  set  of  sun !  ,■ 

There  breathes  not  clansman  of  thy  line, 

But  would  have  given  his  life  for  thine. 

O,  woe  for  Alpine's  honored  Pine !  625 

"  Sad  was  thy  lot  on  mortal  stage  !  — 
The  captive  thrush  may  brook  the  cage, 

611.  Bequiem.    A  hymn,  or  mass,  sung  for  the  repose  of  the  soul  after 
death. 


CANT©  VI.  THE    GUAKD-KOOM.  211 

The  prisoned  eagle  dies  for  rage. 

Brave  spirit,  do  not  scorn  my  strain  ! 

And,  when  its  notes  awake  again,  63« 

Even  she,  so  long  beloved  in  vain, 

Shall  with  my  harp  her  voice  combine, 

And  mix  her  woe  and  tears  with  mine. 

To  wail  Clan-Alpine's  honored  Pine." 

XXIII. 

Ellen  the  while,  with  bursting  heart,  635 

Remained  in  lordly  bower  apart. 

Where  played,  with  many-colored  gleams, 

Through  storied  pane  the  rising  beams. 

In  vain  on  gilded  roof  they  fall. 

And  lightened  up  a  tapestried  Avail,  64« 

And  for  her  use  a  menial  train 

A  rich  collation  spread  in  vain. 

The  banquet  proud,  the  chamber  gay, 

Scarce  draw  one  curious  glance  astray ; 

Or  if  she  looked,  'twas  but  to  say,  645 

With  better  omen  dawned  the  day 

In  that  lone  isle,  where  waved  on  high 

The  dun-deer's  hide  for  canopy ; 

Where  oft  her  noble  father  shared 

The  simple  meal  her  care  prepared,  65# 

While  Lufra,  crouching  by  her  side. 

Her  station  claimed  with  jealous  pride. 

And  Douglas,  bent  on  woodland  game, 

Spoke  of  the  chase  to  Malcolm  Gr^me, 

638.   Storied  pane.     Windows  adorned  with  historical  paintings. 
640.   Tapestried.     Hung  with  an  ornamental  figured  cloth  of  wool  or 
silk.  — Gil.  Menial  train.    A  train  of  servants. 


202  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  vi. 

AVhose  answer,  oft  at  random  made,  655 

The  wandering  of  his  thoughts  betrayed. 

Those  who  such  simple  joys  have  known 

Are  taught  to  prize  them  when  they're  gone. 

But  sudden,  see,  she  lifts  her  head. 

The  window  seeks  with  cautious  tread.  eeu 

What  distant  music  has  the  power 

To  win  her  in  this  Avoful  hour? 

'Twas  from  a  turret  that  o'erhung 

Her  latticed  bower,  the  strain  was  sung. 


XXIV. 

I^ag  of  t^e  Imprisoneb  punlsman. 

"  My  hawk  is  tired  of  perch  and  hood,  665 

My  idle  gre3diound  loathes  his  food. 

My  horse  is  weary  of  his  stall. 

And  I  am  sick  of  captive  thrall. 

I  wish  I  were  as  I  have  been, 

Hunting  the  hart  in  forest  green,  670 

With  bended  bow  and  bloodhound  free. 

For  that's  the  life  is  meet  for  me. 

I  hate  to  learn  the  ebb  of  time 

From  yon  dull  steeple's  drowsy  chime. 

Or  mark  it  as  the  sunbeams  crawl,  675 

Inch  after  inch,  along  the  wall. 

The  lark  was  wont  my  martins  ring, 

The  sable  rook  my  vespers  sing ; 

These  towers,  although  a  king's  they  be, 

Have  not  a  hall  of  joy  for  me.  680 

No  more  at  dawning  morn  I  rise, 


CANTO  VI.  THE    GUAKD-ROOM.  203 

And  sun  myself  in  Ellen's  eyes, 

Drive  the  fleet  deer  the  forest  through, 

And  homeward  wend  with  evening  dew ; 

A  blithesome  welcome  blithely  meet,  685 

And  lay  my  trophies  at  her  feet. 

While  fled  the  eve  on  wing  of  glee,  — 

That  life  is  lost  to  love  and  me  ! " 

XXV. 

The  heart-sick  lay  was  hardl}*  said, 

The  listener  had  not  turned  her  head,  690 

It  trickled  still,  the  starting  tear. 

When  light  a  footstep  struck  her  ear. 

And  Snowdoun's  graceful  Knight  was  near. 

vShe  turned  the  hastier,  lest  again 

The  prisoner  should  renew  his  strain.  695 

"  O  welcome,  brave  Fitz-James  !  "  she  said; 

"  How  may  an  almost  orphan  maid 

Pay  the  deep  debt  —  "     "  O  say  not  so  ! 

To  me  no  gratitude  you  owe. 

Not  mine,  alas  !  the  boon  to  give,  too 

And  bid  thy  noble  father  live ; 

I  can  but  be  thy  guide,  sweet  maid, 

With  Scotland's  King  thy  suit  to  aid. 

No  tyrant  he,  though  ire  and  pride 

May  lay  his  better  mood  aside.  705 

Come,  Ellen,  come  I  'tis  more  than  time. 

He  holds  his  court  at  morning  prime." 

With  beating  heart,  and  bosom  wrung, 

As  to  a  brother's  arm  she  clung. 

707.   Morning  prime.     Dawn. 


204  THE   LADY    OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  vi. 

Gently  he  dried  the  falling  tear,  7io 

And  gently  whispered  hope  and  cheer ; 

Her  faltering  steps  half  led,  half  stayed, 

Through  gallery  fair  and  high  arcade, 

Till  at  his  touch  its  wings  of  pride 

A  portal  arch  unfolded  wide.  715 

XXVI. 

Within  'twas  brilliant  all  and  light, 

A  thronging  scene  of  figures  bright ; 

It  glowed  on  Ellen's  dazzled  sight. 

As  when  the  setting  sun  has  given. 

Ten  thousand  hues  to  summer  even,  720 

And  from  their  tissue  fancy  frames 

Aerial  knights  and  fairy  dames. 

Still  by  Fitz-James  her  footing  staid ; 

A  few  faint  steps  she  forward  made, 

Then  slow  her  drooping  head  she  raised,  725 

And  fearful  round  the  presence  gazed ; 

For  him  she  sought  who  owned  this  state. 

The  dreaded  Prince  whose  will  was  fate  !  — 

She  gazed  on  man}^  a  princely  port 

Might  well  have  ruled  a  royal  court ;  730 

On  many  a  splendid  garb  she  gazed,  — 

Then  turned  bewildered  and  amazed, 

For  all  stood  bare  ;  and  in  the  room 

Fitz-James  alone  wore  cap  and  plumes 

To  him  each  lady's  look  was  lent,  735 

On  him  each  courtier's  eye  was  bent  \ 

713.  Arcade.  A  series  of  openings,  or  recesses,  with  arched  ceilings 
supported  by  columns. — 720.  Presence.  Presence-chamber;  the  room  in 
which  a  great  person  receives  guests. 


CANTO  VI.         y  THE   (ILARD-HOOM.     ^^^T '  '    205 

Midst  fui's  and  silks  and  jewels  sheen,  (^ 

He  stood,  in  simple  Lincoln  green, 

The  centre  of  the  glittering  ring,  — 

And  Snowdoun's  Knight  is  Scotland's  King  I        740 

/-  ^   . /xxvii.  r  /. 


t 


As  wreath  of  snow  9n  mountain-breast 

Slides  from  the  rock  that  gave  it  rest, 

Poor  Ellen  glided  from  her  stay,__/  . 

And  at  (the  Monarch's  feet  slie  lay  ;  '^''^ 

No  word  her  choking  voice  commands,  —  745 

She  showed;  the  ring^  —  she  clasped  her  hands. 

O,  not  a  moment  could  he  brook. 

The  generous  Prince,) that  suppliant  look  !   /^ 

Gently-  he  raised  her,  —  and,  the  while. 

Checked  with  a  glance  the  circle's  smile  ;  "50 

Graceful,!  but  grave,  lier  brow  he  kissed, 

And  bade  her  ter^^ors  be  dismissed  :  — 

"  Yes,  fair  ;  the  Wandering  poor  Fitz- James 

The  fealty  of  Scotland  claims. 

To  him  thy  woes,  thy  wishes,  bring ;  7.55 

He  will  redeem  his  signet  ring. 

Ask  naught  for  Douglas  ;  —  yester  even. 

His  Prince  and  he  have  much  forgiven ; 

740.  Snowdoun's  Knight  is  Scotland's  King.  James  V.,  of  whom  we 
are  treating,  was  a  monarch  whose  good  and  benevolent  intentions  often 
r.-ndered  his  romantic  freaks  venial,  if  not  respectable,  since,  from  his 
anxious  attention  to  the  interests  of  the  lower  and  most  oppressed  class  of 
his  subjects,  he  was,  as  we  have  seen,  popularly  termed  the  Kinu  of  the 
Commons.  For  the  purpose  of  seeing  that  justice  was  regularly  adminis- 
tered, and  frequently  from  the  less  justifiable  motive  of  gallantry,  he  used 
to  traverse  the  vicinage  of  his  several  palaces  in  various  disguises.    Scott. 

757.  Yester  even.     Yesterday  evening. 


206  THE   LADY    OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  vi. 

Wrong  hath  he  had  from  slanderous  tongue, 

I,  from  his  rebel  kmsmen,  wrong.  760 

We  would  not  to  the  vulgar  crowd, 

Yield  what  they  craved  with  clamor  loud ; 

Calmly  we  heard  and  judged  his  cause. 

Our  council  aided  and  our  laws. 

I  stanched  thy  father's  death-feud  stern  765 

With  stout  De  Vaux  and  gray  Glencairn  ; 

And  Bothwell's  Lord  henceforth  we  own 

The  friend  and  bulwark  of  our  throne.  — 

But,  lovely  inlidel,  how  now  ? 

What  clouds  thy  misbelieving  brow  ?  770 

Lord  James  of  Douglas,  lend  thine  aid ; 

Thou  must  confirm  this  doubting  maid.'* 

XXVIII.  ^ 

Then  forth  the  noble  Douglas  sprung, 

And  on  his  neck  his  daughter  hung. 

The  Monarch  drank,  that  happy  hour,  775 

The  sweetest,  holiest  draught  of  Power,  — 

When  it  can  say  with  godlike  voice, 

Arise,  sad  Virtue,  and  rejoice  ! 

Yet  would  not  James  the  general  eye 

On  nature's  raptures  long  should  pry  ;  780 

He  stepped  between  —  "  Nay,  Douglas,  nay, 

Steal  not  my  proselyte  away  I 

The  riddle  'tis  my  right  to  read, 

That  brought  this  happy  chance  to  speed. 

Yes,  Ellen,  when  disguised  I  stray  785 

In  life's  more  low  but  happier  way, 

782.  Proselyte.    New  convert.      784.  To  speed.    To  a  successful  result. 


CANTO  VI.  THE   GUARD-ROOM.  207 

'Tis  under  name  which  veils  my  power, 

Nor  falsely  veils,  —  for  Stirling's  tower 

Of  yore  the  name  of  Snowdoun  claims. 

And  Normans  call  me  James  Fitz- James.  790 

Thus  watch  I  o'er  insulted  laws. 

Thus  learn  to  right  the  injured  cause."     • 

Then,  in  a  tone  apart  and  low,  — 

"  Ah,  little  traitress  !  none  must  know 

What  idle  dream,  what  lighter  thought,  795 

What  vanity  full  dearly  bought. 

Joined  to  thine  eye's  dark  witchcraft,  drew 

My  spell-bound  steps  to  Benvenue 

In  dangerous  hour,  and  all  but  gave 

Thy  Monarch's  life  to  mountain  glaive  !  "  800 

Aloud  he  spoke  :  "  Thou  still  dost  hold 

That  little  talisman  of  gold. 

Pledge  of  my  faith,  Fitz-James's  rijig,  — 

What  seeks  fair  Ellen  of  the  King  ?  " 


XXIX. 

Full  well  the  conscious  maiden  guessed  805 

He  probed  the  weakness  of  her  breast ; 

But  with  that  consciousness  there  came 

A  lightening  of  her  fears  for  Graeme, 

And  more  she  deemed  the  Monarch's  ire 

Kindled  'gainst  him  who  for  her  sire  8io 

Rebellious  broadsword  boldly  drew ; 

And,  to  her  generous  feeling  true. 

She  craved  the  grace  of  Roderick  Dhu. 

802.   Talisman.     An  image  supposed  to  produce  a  magical  or  extraordi- 
nary effect  in  preventing  evil. 


208  THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE.  canto  vi. 

"  Forbear  thy  suit ;  —  the  King  of  kings 

Alone  can  stay  life's  parting  wings.  815 

I  know  his  heart,  I  know  his  hand, 

Have  shared  his  cheer,  and  proved  his  brand ;  — 

My  fairest  earldom  would  I  give 

To  bid  Clan-Alpine's  Chieftain  live !  — 

Hast  thou  no  other  boon  to  crave  ?  820 

No  other  captive  friend  to  save  ?  " 

Blushing,  she  turned  her  from  the  King, 

And  to  the  Douglas  gave  the  ring, 

As  if  she  wished  her  sire  to  speak 

The  suit  that  stained  her  glowing  cheek.  825 

"  Nay,  then,  my  pledge  has  lost  its  force, 

And  stubborn  justice  holds  her  course. 

Malcolm,  come  forth  !  "  —  and,  at  the  word, 

Down  kneeled  the  Graeme  to  Scotland's  Lord. 

"  For  thee,  rash  youth,  no  suppliant  sues,  830 

From  thee  may  Vengeance  claim  her  dues. 

Who  nurtured  underneath  our  smile, 

Hast  paid  our  care  by  treacherous  wile, 

And  sought  amid  thy  faithful  clan 

A  refuge  for  an  outlawed  man,  835 

Dishonoring  thus  thy  loyal  name.  — 

Fetters  and  warder  for  the  Graeme  !  "' 

His  chain  of  gold  the  King  unstrung, 

The  links  o'er  Malcolm's  neck  he  flung. 

Then  gently  drew  the  glittering  band,  840 

And  laid  the  clasp  on  Ellen's  hand. 


825.   stained.     Flushed. 

833.   Treacherous  wile.     A  plot  for  tlie  betrayal  of  a  trust. 


CANTO  VI.  THE    GUARD-ROOM.  209 

« 

Harp  of  the  North,  farewell !     The  hills  grow  dark, 

On  purple  peaks  a  deeper  shade  descending  ; 
In  twilight  copse  the  glow-worm  lights  her  spark, 

The  deer,  half  seen,  are  to  the  covert  wending.         845 
Resume  thy  wizard  elm  1  the  fountain  lending, 

And  the  wild  breeze,  thy  wilder  minstrelsy ; 
Thy  numbers  sweet  with  nature's  vespers  blending. 

With  distant  echo  from  the  fold  and  lea. 
And  herd-boy's  evening  pipe,  and  hum  of  housing  bee. 

Yet,  once  again,  farewell,  thou  Minstrel  Harp  I  85i 

Yet,  once  again,  forgive  my  feeble  sway. 
And  little  reck  I  of  the  censure  sharp 

May  idly  cavil  at  an  idle  lay. 
Much  have  I  owed  thy  strains  on  life's  long  way,         855 

Through  secret  woes  the  world  has  never  known. 
When  on  the  weary  night  dawned  wearier  day. 

And  bitterer  was  the  grief  devoured  alone.  — 
That  I  o'erlive  such  woes,  Enchantress  I  is  thine  OAvn. 

Hark  !  as  my  lingering  footsteps  slow  retire,  860 

Some  Spirit  of  the  Air  has  waked  thy  string  ! 
'Tis  now  a  seraph  bold,  with  touch  of  fire, 

'Tis  now  the  brush  of  Fairy's  frolic  wing. 
Receding  now  the  dying  numbers  ring 

Fainter  and  fainter  down  the  rugged  dell ;  so.") 

And  now  the  mountain  breezes  scarcely  bring 

A  wandering  witch-note  of  the  distant  spell  — 
And  now,  'tis  silent  all !  —  Enchantress,  fare  thee  well ! 

854.   Cavil.     Fiud  fault,  without  cause. 

862.    Seraph.     Au  augel  of  the  highest  rank. 


IlfTDEX    TO    NOTES. 


[The  Numbers  refer  to  Pages.] 


According  pause,  4. 

Adventures,  180. 

Aghast,  76. 

Albany,  146. 

Allan,  129. 

Allan-bane,  37. 

Allies,  65. 

Alpine,  46. 

Amain,  11. 

Ambuscade,  148. 

Ambush,  133. 

Anathema,  83. 

And  the  best  of  Loch  Lomond,  etc.,  55. 

Antique  garniture,  189. 

Antiquity,  76. 

Apparition,  152. 

Apprehensive,  117. 

Arcade,  204. 

Archer  wight,  1(36. 

Ardent  symphony,  4. 

Arraignment,  146. 

Array,  186. 

Ascabart,  28. 

Aspen,  14. 

.\ssuage,  44. 

Astound,  06. 

Astrand,  189. 

Aught,  59. 

Augured,  81. 

Augur  scathe,  124. 

Augury,  110. 

Auspicious,  114. 

Ave  Maria,  103. 

Avouch,  113. 


Balvaig,  97. 

Ban,  82. 

Banditti,  174. 

Bannered  jrlne,  52. 

Bannochar,  55. 

Barded,  193. 

Barret-cap,  187. 

Basked,  137. 

Battalia,  193. 

Batten,  130. 

Battled  fence,  66. 

Battled  verge,  173. 

Battlement,  13. 

Battle  of  Bear  an  Duine,  191. 

Beacon,  5. 

Bead,  17. 
Beala-nambo,  85. 
Bear  maha.  111. 
Beakers,  179. 
Beamed  frontlet,  5. 
Beck,  150. 
Beetled,  66. 
Beguile,  118. 
Beltane  game,  51. 
Ben-an,  16. 

Ben-an's  gray  scalp,  84. 
Benharrow,  77. 
Benighted,  22. 
Benledi,  8. 
Ben-Shie,  81. 
Benvenue,  8. 
Benvoirlich,  5. 
Beshrew,  17. 
Betimes,  124. 


212 


THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE. 


Bide,  109. 

Bittern,  31. 

Black-jack,  181. 

Black  Sir  Roderick,  46. 

Blair-Drumraond,  160. 

Blautj^re,  58. 
,      Blazed,  113. 
\     Bleeding  Heart,  45. 
\    Blench,  05. 
^  Blithe  carol,  88. 

Bochastle,  153. 

^^ochastle's  heath,  8. 

Boding,  44. 

Bonnet  pieces,  197. 

Bonnets,  52. 

Boon  to  crave,  127. 

Bootless,  65. 

Bosky,  88. 

Boss,  111. 

Both  well's  bannered  hall,  43. 

Boune,  109,  159. 

Bout,  109. 

Bourne,  124. 

Bower,  41. 

Bracken,  96. 

Bracklinn,  49. 

Braes,  63. 

Braes  of  Doune,  108. 

Brake,  9. 

Brand,  34. 

Brawny,  167. 

Breadalbane,  55. 

Bride  of  Heaven,  162. 

Brigg  of  Turk,  9. 

Broke,  112. 

Brooch,  19. 

Brook,  28. 

Broom,  15. 

Bruce,  99. 

Bucklered,  78. 

Buffet,  170. 

Burden,  54. 

Burgeon,  54. 

Butts,  166. 


Buxom,  181. 

By,  103. 

By  his  chieftain's  hand,  98. 

By  the  rood,  22. 

Cabala,  80. 

Cadence,  31,  54. 

Cairn,  6. 

Caitiff,  178. 

Caledon,  3. 

Cambus-kenneth's  fane,  117. 

Cambusmou.  8. 

Canna,  51. 

Cardross,  99. 

Carpet  knight,  155. 

Casement,  179. 

Casque,  198. 

Castle,  164. 

Cavil,  209. 

Chalice,  74. 

Chanter,  52. 

Checkered  bauds,  166. 

Checkered  shroud,  68. 

Chiding,  11. 

Clamor,  88. 

Clan,  41. 

Clarion,  53. 

Claymore,  49, 

Clemency,  170. 

Cloister,  16. 

Close,  158. 

Cognizance,  174. 

Coif,  94. 

Coil,  97. 

Coilantogle's  ford,  139. 

Coir-Uriskin,  85,  99. 

Combating,  67. 

Common's  King,  165. 

Compeers,  79. 

Conceit,  108. 

Conjure,  122. 

Copse,  6. 

Cormorant,  72. 

Coronach,  89. 


INDEX. 


213 


Coronet,  45. 
Correi,  CO. 
Corselet,  198. 
Couched,  11. 
Courier,  62. 
Covert,  84. 
Cowl,  1G(3. 
Coy,  74. 
Crested,  4. 
Crosslet,  82. 
Cubit,  82. 
Cumber,  90. 
Curlew,  149. 
Cushat,  76. 
Cymbals,  193. 

Daggled,  133. 

Dappled,  142. 

Dank  osiers,  144. 

Darkling,  120. 

Death  halloo,  10. 

Death  wound,  10. 

Dell,  72. 

Delusion,  152. 

Dennan's  Row,  111. 

Dernstown,  IGO. 

Despite  old  spleen,  61. 

Devan,  129. 

Device,  25. 

Dewing,  30. 

Dingle,  12. 

Dirge,  197. 

Disembodied  world,  81. 

Dispensation,  47. 

Disowned  by  every  noble  peer,  47, 

Doffing,  165. 

Domain,  67. 

Douglases,  43,  163. 

Doune,  145,  160. 

Down,  71. 

Down  of  eider,  103. 

Druid,  77. 

Duchray,  99. 

Dun,  27. 


Dun  deer's  hide,  87. 
Duncraggan,  89. 
Dun  of  crmline,  123. 

Eagle  wings  unfurled,  153. 

Earl  William,  176. 

Earn,  115. 

Earth-born  castles,  13. 

Eglantine,  13. 

Elfin  Queen,  120. 

Embers,  85. 

Emblem,  44. 

Embossed,  9. 

Emprise,  24. 

Enow,  65. 

Envenomed,  68. 

Erne,  192. 

Errant  damosel,  185. 

Errant-knight,  24. 

Erst,  42. 

Espial,  63. 

Estranged,  79. 

Ettrick,  63. 

Execration,  83. 

Eyry,  192. 

Fabled  goddess,  59. 
Fain,  7. 
Falchion,  18. 
Falcon,  6. 
Fallow,  31. 
Fared,  128. 
Fatal  green,  121. 
Favor,  135. 
Fay,  23. 
Fealty,  172. 
Feint,  156. 
Fell,  70. 
Fellest,  29. 
Fen,  116. 
Ferragus,  28. 
Feud,  125. 
Feudal  power,  165. 
Field  fare,  78. 


214 


THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE. 


Fiery  Cross,  74. 

Filial  love,  20. 

Fitting  ward,  171. 

Fleet,  40. 

Fleming,  180. 

Flushing,  90. 

Foiled,  65. 

Fold,  78. 

Forayed,  130. 

Forfeit,  133. 

For  retreat  in  dangerous  hour,  25. 

Franciscan,  163. 

Fraught,  43. 

Frenzied,  134. 

Friar  Tuck,  166. 

From  targe  and  jack,  151. 

Gael,  142. 
Gallants,  159. 
Garnish,  27. 
Garrisoned,  150. 
Gauntlet,  33. 
Glade,  13. 
Glaive,  114. 
Glen,  78. 
Glen  Artney,  5. 
Glenfinlas,  61. 
Glen  Fruin,  55. 
Glen  Luss,  55. 
Glinted,  151. 
Glosing,  62. 
Goblin,  81. 
Goshawk,  84. 
Gored,  181. 
Graces,  19. 
Graeme,  41,  99. 
Grisly  visage,  33. 
Grot,  118. 
Guerdon,  47,  186. 
Guile,  120. 
Guise,  59. 
Gyve,  178. 

Hag,  81. 


Haggard,  83. 

Halberd,  180. 

Hallowed  creed,  78. 

Hap,  38. 

Hardened  flesh,  138. 

Harebell,  44. 

Harness,  179. 

Harp  of  the  North,  3. 

Hazard  our  relief,  47. 

Heath,  8,  74. 

Heath  cock,  22. 

Helm,  127. 

Henchman,  70. 

Heritage,  29. 

Heron,  23. 

Hero's  targe,  111. 

Hest,  92. 

Hied,  12. 

Highland  plunderers,  17. 

Hind,  87. 

His  Border  spears  with  Hotspur's 

bows,  50. 
His  lordship  the  embattled  lield,  127. 
His  targe  he  threw,  etc.,  156. 
Hoary,  90. 
Holy-Rood,  46,  146. 
Holytide,  180. 
Homage,  155. 
Homicide,  47. 
Horde,  98. 
Host,  180. 
Hostage,  165. 

Hunters  live  so  cheerily,  etc.,  132. 
Hurricane,  7. 

Idaean  vine,  26. 

Imbrue,  135. 

Impending,  82. 

Incessant,  66. 

Inch-Cailliach,  82. 

Inconstant,  122. 

Incumbent,  100. 

Infamy,  84. 

In  Holy-Rood  a  knight  he  slew,  46. 


INDEX. 


215 


Insulated,  13. 
Inured,  109. 
Invulnerable,  117. 

Jennet,  164. 
Jeopardy,  187. 
Juggler,  183. 

Ken,  7. 
Kerchief,  94. 
Kernes,  111. 
Kier,  IGO. 
Kindly,  122. 
Knell,  42. 

Knighthood,  4,  171. 
Knot-grass,  78. 

Lackey,  70. 

Ladies'  Rock,  1(58. 

Lair,  5. 

Lanrick  mead,  86. 

Lave,  17. 

Lay,  37. 

Lea,  44. 

Leagued,  50. 

Leash,  169. 

Leech,  189. 

Legends,  74. 

Lendrick,  160. 

Lenox  foray,  46. 

Level  way,  12. 

Leven-glen,  55. 

Lichens,  39. 

Limpid,  57. 

Lincoln  green,  23. 

Lineage  of  the  Bleeding  Heart,  65. 

Links  of  Forth,  65. 

Linn,  7. 

Linnet,  37. 

Little  John,  166. 

Loch  Achray,  8. 

Lochard,  8. 

Loch  Con,  99. 

Loch  Katrine,  15. 


Loch  Lomond,  46, 
Loop,  179, 
Lowered,  146. 
Lubnaig,  95. 
Lure,  145. 

Magic,  80. 

Maid  :Marian,  166, 

Main,  38. 

Marauding,  47. 

Marouuau,  48. 

Martial,  142. 

Masquers,  163. 

Matins,  17,  37. 

Mavis,  119. 

Maze,  4. 

Measured  mood,  19. 

Meed,  38, 

Meggat,  63. 

Menials,  28, 

Menial  train,  201. 

Menteith,  7,  55. 

Mere,  22. 

Merle,  119. 

Meteor  fire,  80. 

Mewed,  146. 

Midnight  blaze,  97. 

Mien,  23. 

Mimicry,  61. 

Minaret,  13, 

Minstrel,  3. 

Minstrelsy,  4. 

Misproud,  170. 

Moat,  15, 

Monan,  4. 

Monk,  77. 

Monument  of  Grecian  Art,  18, 

Moody,  79. 

Moor,  71. 

Morass,  87. 

Moray's  silver  star,  114. 

More  than  kindred  knew,  28. 

Morning  prime,  203. 

Morrice-dancers,  163. 


216                           THE    LADY   OF   THE    LAKE. 

Mosque,  13. 

Pole-axe,  95. 

Motley,  163. 

Pomp,  58. 

Mould,  123. 

Port,  28. 

Murky,  103. 

Portals,  63. 

Muster,  145. 

Postern  gate,  162. 

Mutch,  166. 

Prelude,  53. 

]My  sovereign  holds  in  ward   my 

Presaged,  118. 

lauds,  71. 

Presence,  204. 

Mysterious  lineage,  79. 

Pretext,  63. 

Pricked,  160. 

Naiad,  18. 

Primeval,  100. 

Native  buhvarks,  13. 

Prompted,  108. 

Needwood,  184. 

Prore,  189. 

Nighted,  68. 

Proselyte,  206. 

Numbers,  3. 

Prune,  21. 

Nuptial  torch,  65. 

Ptarmigan,  22. 

Purvey,  183. 

Ochtertyre,  160. 

Omen,  112. 

Quail,  60. 

O  my  sweet  William,  131. 

Quaint,  163. 

On  the  visioned  future  bent,  23. 

Quarry,  9. 

Opening  pack,  6. 

Quarterstaff,  166. 

Orisons,  34. 

Questing,  87. 

0  sad  and  fatal  mound,  163. 

Outlawed,  47. 

Rampart,  10. 

Random,  100. 

Page,  101. 

Raven,  20. 

Pageant  pomp,  70. 

Ravine,  97. 

Pagod,  13. 

Reave,  44. 

Palfrey,  159. 

Reck  of,  127. 

Pallet,  178. 

Recreant,  157. 

Palsied,  86. 

Rednock,  99. 

Parley,  62. 

Red  streamers  of  the  north,  116 

Patriarch,  82. 

Reeking  red,  49. 

Penance,  77. 

Refluent,  195. 

Pennons,  130,  145. 

Reft,  61. 

Pent,  148. 

Rendezvous,  98. 

Percy's  Norman  pennon,  58. 

Requiem,  200. 

Phantom,  32. 

Reveille,  31. 

Pibroch,  30. 

Revelry,  76. 

Pinnacle,  12. 

Rife,  117. 

Plaid,  19. 

Rifted,  55. 

Plaided,  38. 

Ritual,  76. 

Plover,  153. 

River  Demon,  80. 

INDEX. 


217 


Robin  Hood,  166. 

Rocky  isle,  24. 

Roderick  Vich  Alpine.  54. 

Roe,  6. 

Ross-dhn,  55. 

Rout,  6. 

Rowan,  77. 

Royal  ward,  61. 

Ruth,  156. 

Ruthless,  63. 

Sable,  50. 

Sable-lettered  page,  00. 

Sable  pale  of  Mar,  114. 

Saint  Fillan,  3. 

Saint  Hubert,  9. 

Saint  Modan,  42. 

Satyr,  100. 

Scaled,  66. 

Scanned,  99. 

Scarlet,  166. 

Scathed,  84. 

Scathelocke,  166. 

Scathless,  111. 

Scaur,  87. 

Scourge  and  steel,  9. 

Scroll,  113. 

Searest,  90. 

Sedgy,  31. 

Seek  other  cause  'gainst  Roderick 

Dhu,  148. 
Seine,  11. 
Sentient,  113. 
Sentinel,  16. 
Sepulchral,  S3. 
Sequestered,  98. 
Seraph,  209. 
Serf,  124. 
Serried,  194. 
Shallop,  191. 
Sheen,  13. 
Shingles,  143. 
Shingly,  81. 
Shock,  148. 


Shred,  134. 

Shrewdly,  7. 

Shrouds,  48. 

Signet,  127. 

Signet  sage,  21. 

Skirts,  98. 

Slaked,  49. 

Slighting  the  need,  22. 

Slip,  137. 

Slogan,  55. 

Snood,  19,  79. 

Snowdoun,  29. 

Snowdoun's  Knight  is  Scotland's 
King,  205. 

Sooth,  24. 

Sounds,  too,  had  come,  81. 

Speed,  38. 

Spells,  80. 

Spey,  44. 

Stag  of  ten,  132. 

Stained,  208. 

Stalwart,  168. 

Stance,  115. 

Stanch  hound,  9. 

Stark,  164. 

Stirling's  porch,  65,  161. 
Stock,  9. 

Storied  pane,  201. 
Straight  or  strait,  63. 
Strand,  88. 

Stranger  to  respect  and  power,  146. 
Strath,  78. 

Strath  Endrick  glen,  61. 
Strath-Gartney,  97. 
Strath-Ire,  92. 
Strathspey,  46. 
Strook,  83. 

Stumah,  90.  ^ 

Subterranean,  150. 
Such  cheek  should  feel  the  mid- 
night air,  70. 
Suitor,  50. 

Summer  solstice,  136. 
Suspense,  152. 


218 


THE   LADY   OF   THE   LAKE. 


Swarthy,  88. 
Swath,  88. 
Switzer,  180, 
Sylvan  war,  7. 
Symbol,  83. 

Taghairm,  110. 

Tainted  gale,  5. 

Talisman,  207. 

Tamed  the  Border-Side,  63. 

Tapestried,  201. 

Targe,  92. 

Target,  27. 

Tartans  brave,  52. 

Teviot,  G3. 

That  monk  of  savage  form  and 
face,  77. 

That  party  conquers  in  the  strife,  113. 

The  bannered  towers  of  Doune,  160. 

The  burghers  hold  their  sports  to- 
day, 163. 

The  flooded  Teith,  8. 

Three  mighty  lakes,  153. 

Thrilling  sounds,  etc.,  52. 

Through  watch  and  ward,  139. 

Tilter,  164. 

Tinchell,  194. 

Tine-man,  50. 

Toils,  131. 

Torry,  160. 

To  speed,  206. 

To  steal  their  meal,  142. 

Tower,  13. 

Trailing  arms,  173. 

Train,  126. 

Trance,  113. 

Treacherous  wile,  208. 

Triple  »teel,  158. 

Troll,  181. 

Trophies,  27. 

Trosachs,  10. 

Trowed,  117. 

Truce,  156. 

Truncheon,  146. 


Tullibardine's  house,  185. 
Turn  to  bay,  10. 
Turret,  13. 
Tweed,  44. 

Uam-Var,  6. 

Unasked  his  birth  and  name,  28. 

Undaimted,  47. 

Unhooded,  59. 

Unless  he  climb,  etc.,  15. 

Unwont,  42. 

Vair,  120. 

Vassal,  83. 
Vaward  scouts,  193. 
Veering,  14. 
Vennachar,  9. 
Ventures,  74. 
Verge,  66. 
Vest  of  Pall.  119. 
Vied,  67. 
Vindictive,  9. 
Voluntary,  96. 
Votaress,  48. 
Vulgar,  175. 

Wan,  67. 

Waned  crescent,  58. 
Ward,  53. 
Warder,  5. 
Warily,  132. 
Warrant,  139.    ^ 
Weal,  72. 
Weeds,  128. 
Weird,  30. 
Whinyard,  10. 

White-haired  Allan-bane,  37. 
Wildering,  16. 
Wiled,  45. 
Wily,  126. 
Wist,  123. 
Witch-elm,  3. 

Without    a    pass    from    Roderick 
Dhu,  152. 


INDEX. 


219 


Wizard,  4. 

Woe  worth  the  chase,  11. 

Wold,  119. 

Woned,  120. 

Wont,  21. 

Wot,  29. 

Wreak,  135. 


Wrought,  132. 

Yarrow,  63. 
Yeoman,  164. 
Yester  even,  205. 
Yew,  82. 
Yore,  50. 


Presswork  by  Berwick  ^  SmitJ^,  lis  P^^^^^X^^r:^^;:^^^^,,,,. 


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ROUSSEAU'S  OPINION  OF  "ROBINSON  CRUSOE." 


"Since  we  must  have  books,  there  is  one  which,  to  my 
mind,  furnishes  the  finest  of  treatises  on  education  according 
to  nature.  M3'  Emile  shall  read  this  book  before  any  other ; 
it  shall  for  a  long  time  be  his  entire  library,  and  shall  always 
hold  an  honorable  place.  It  shall  be  the  text  on  which  all 
our  discussions  of  natural  science  shall  be  only  commentaries. 
It  shall  be  a  test  for  all  we  meet  daring  our  progress  toward 
a  ripened  judgment ;  and,  so  long  as  our  taste  is  unspoiled, 
we  shall  enjoy  reading  it.  What  wonderful  book  is  this? 
Aristotle?  Pliny?  Buifon?    No  ;  it  is  '  Robinson  Crusoe.' .  .  . 

"Disencumbered  of  its  less  profitable  portions,  this  ro- 
mance, from  its  beginning,  the  shipwreck  of  Crusoe  on 
the  island,  to  its  end,  the  arrival  of  the  vessel  which  ^takes 
him  away,  will  5ield  amusement  and  instruction  to  Emile. 
I  would  have  him  comi)letelv  carried  awav  bv  it,  continuallv 
thinking  of  Crusoe's  fort,  his  goats,  and  his  plantations.  I 
would  have  him  learn,  not  from  books,  but  from  real  things, 
all  he  would  need  to  know  under  the  same  circumstances. 
He  should  be  encouraged  to  play  Robinson  Crusoe, — to 
imagine  himself  clad  in  skins,  wearing  a  great  cap  and 
sword,  and  all  the  array  of  that  grotesque  figure,  down  to 
the  umbrella,  of  which  he  would  have  no  need.  If  he  hap- 
pens to  be  in  want  of  anything,  I  hope  he  will  contrive 
something  to  supply  its  place.  Let  him  look  carefully  into 
all  that  his  hero  did,  and  decide  whether  any  of  it  was  un- 
necessary, or  might  have  been  done  in  a  better  way.  Let 
him  notice  Crusoe's  mistakes,  and  avoid  them  under  like 
circumstances. 

'•He  will  very  likely  plan  for  himself  surroundings  like 
Crusoe's,  —  a  real  castle  in  the  air,  natural  at  his  happy  age, 
when  we  think  ourselves  rich  if  we  are  free  and  have  the 
necessaries  of  life.  How  useful  this  hobbv  mio'ht  be  made 
if  some  man  of  sense  would  only  suggest  it,  and  turn  it  to 
good  account !  The  child,  eager  to  build  a  storehouse  for 
his  island,  would  be  more  desirous  to  learn  than  his  master 
would  be  to  teach  him.  He  would  be  anxious  to  know  every- 
thing he  could  make  use  of,  and  nothing  besides.  You  would 
not  need  to  guide,  but  to  restrain  him." 

From  £mile. 


A     NEW     VOLUME     IN     THE     SERIES     OF 

CLASSICS  FOE  CHILDREN. 


AA;^  AT  ER-B  ABIES. 

By  CHARLES  KINGSLEY. 

Edited  for  the  use  of  Schools  by  J.  H.  Stickney. 

212  Pi?.    Illustrated.    Boards.    Introd.  price,  35  cts.;  Maili7ig  price,  4:0  cts. 

Testimony  to  any  extent  might  easily  be  adduced  to  the  ex- 
cellent style  and  healthy  tone  of  this  beautiful  story.  A  slight 
abridgment,  involving  no  other  change  than  the  omission  of  difficult 
passages,  not  intended  to  be  understood  by  children,  and  amount- 
ing in  the  aggregate  to  less  than  forty  in  the  two  hundred  and 
fifty  pages,  has  perfectly  adapted  it  to  use  in  the  schoolroom. 

No  modern  writer  has  better  deserved  the  title  of  the  classici 
than  Mr.  Kingsley.  No  one  better  unites  a  lofty  aim  and  a  simple, 
natural  style.  The  purpose  of  the  author  in  Water-Babies  seems 
to  have  been  to  picture  to  little  children  the  truths  of  natural  selec- 
tion of  species  by  making  an  individual  and  moral  application  of 
them.  And  he  does  so  in  the  character  of  a  little  chimney-sweep. 
To  avoid  what  is  objectionable  in  a  moral  story,  as  such,  he  begins 
by  taking  his  little  subject  into  fairy-land,  in  the  personnel  of  a 
low  form  of  water-life ;  then  by  a  series  of  gradual  transformations 
he  lifts  him  into  physical,  mental,  and,  as  the  ground  and  agency 
of  both  these,  moral  eminence,  simply  by  the  exercise  of  a  rig:ht 
impulse  —  the  desire  to  be  clean  —  under  the  training  of  two  prin- 
ciples, —  unyielding  justice  and  unselfish  love.  The  natural  history 
has  a  charm  not  often  given  to  animals  of  the  watery  world. 
Their  traits  are  all  made  to  bear  upon  little  Tom,  — himself  little 
more  than  an  animal  at  the  start,  but  wdth  a  higher  destiny.  The 
book  is  more  than  moral ;  it  is  religious,  yet  with  no  distinct  state- 
ment to  make  it  so,  apart  from  the  inference  of  the  story,  and 
without  the  least  trace  of  sectarianism.  No  better  influence  could 
possibly  be  brought  to  bear  upon  a  class  in  school  than  that  of 
following  together  the  fortunes  of  little  Tom  in  the  severe  hands 
of  Mrs.  Bedonebyasyoudid  or  the  more  gentle  ones  of  Mrs.  Doas- 
youwouldbedoneby.  The  language  of  the  book  is  so  simple  as  to 
make  it  easy  reading  for  pupils  of  the  Third  or  Fourth  Reader 
grade ;  and  to  have  read  it  thus  as  a  school  exercise  is  an  item  in 
education  not  likely  to  be  forgotten,  nor  one  barren  of  desired 
results. 

GINN,  HEATH,   &  CO.,  Publishers, 

BOSTON,  NEW  YORK,  and  CHICAGO. 


GUIDES  FOR  SCIENCE  TEACHING. 


Published  undbr  thb  Auspices  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History. 


These  manuals  are  designed  to  assist  teachers  of  natural 
science.  They  present  needed  information  in  a  clear  and  com- 
pact form,  with  illustrations  and  diagrams  where  desirable,  and 
give  practical  hints  both  for  the  class-room  and  for  collecting 
and  preserving  specimens.  They  are  all  i6mo,  with  stiff  paper 
covers.     Specimens  can  be  had  illustrating  Nos.  III.-XII. 

No.  I.    About  Pebbles. 

By  Prof.  Alpheus  Hyatt,  of  the   Mass.  Institute  of  Technology. 
26  pp.     Mailing  Price,  10  cents. 

No.  II.   Concerning  a  few  Common  Plants. 

By  Prof.  George  Goodale,  of  Harvard  University.     61  pp.     Mailing 
Price,  10  cents. 

No.  III.    Commercial  and  Other  Sponges. 

By  Prof.    Alpheus   Hyatt,  of  the   Mass.  Institute   of  Technology. 
43  PP-     7  illustrative  plates.     iSIailing  Price,  20  cents. 

No.  IV.    A  First  Lesson  in  Natural  History. 

By  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Agassiz.     64  pp.     Illustrated  by  woodcuts  and 
4  plates.     Mailing  Price,  25  cents. 

No.  V.    Common  Hydroids,  Corals,  and  Echinoderms. 

By  Prof.  Alpheus  Hyatt,  of  the  Mass.  Institute  of  Technology. 
32  pp.     Illustrated.     Mailing  Price,  20  cents. 

No.  VI.    Oyster,  Clam,  and  Other  Common  Mollusks. 

By   Prof.  Alpheus   Hyatt,   of  the    Mass.   Institute  of  Technology. 
65  pp.     17  illustrative  plates.     Mailing  Price,  25  cents. 

No.  VII.    Worms  and  Crustacea. 

By  Prof  Alpheus   Hyatt,  of  the   Mass.   Institute  of  Technology - 
68  pp.    Illustrated  by  36  cuts  and  12  plates.    Mailing  Price,  25  cents. 

No.  XII.    Common  Minerals  and  Rocks. 

By  Prof.  W.  O.  Crosby,  of  the  Mass.  Institute  of  Technology.    130  pp. 
Mailing  Price,  25  cents. 

No.  XIII .   First  Lessons  in  Minerals. 

By  Miss  Ellen  H.  Richards,  of  the  Mass.  Institute  of  Technolog}'. 
50  pp.     Mailing  Price,  10  cents. 

Nos.   VIII.  to  XL  are  in  freparation. 

GIXN,    HEATH,    &   CO.,    Publishers, 

BOSTON,  NEW  YORK,  and  CHICAGO. 


HAZEN'S 

COMPLETE    SPELLING-BOOK, 


FOR 


Primary,  Intermediate ^  and  Gratnmar  Schools, 


The  old-fashioned  spelling-book  contained  a  huddle  of  words, 
most  of  them  unknown  to  the  child,  many  almost  unknowable,  rarely 
to  be  met  with  in  his  reading  or  used  in  his  writing.  Such  a  barbarous 
plan  could  not  produce  good  results.  It  was  a  tyranny,  and,  like 
every  other  tyranny,  it  had  to  be  overthrown.  Spelling-books  were 
declared  a  "common  enemy." 

But  to  use  no  speller  has  proved  as  real  an  evil  as  to  use  a  bad 
one.  Few  teachers  are  willing  and  able  to  make  their  own  lists 
of  words,  fewer  still  have  the  time ;  and,  after  all,  why  should  such 
hastily-made  spelling-books  be  better  than  a  printed  one,  prepared 
by  a  specially  qualified  person  after  special  study  and  ample  time  ? 

HAZEN'S  COMPLETE  SPELLING-BOOK  is  presented  as  a 
"  Golden  Mean.*'  It  is  a  common-sense  INIanual  for  common-sense 
teachers,  adapted  to  the  entire  range  of  grades,  and  containing  be- 
sides the  old  and  approved  features  many  new  and  original  ones, 
that  enable  the  teacher  to  quadruple  the  benefits  of  this  branch  of 
studv. 


Introduction  Price,  25  cts.      Allowance  for  old  Book,  10  cts. 


GINN,    HEATH.   &  CO.,   Publishers, 

Boston,   New  York,  and  Chicago. 


WOOD-WORKING    TOOLS; 


HOW  TO  USE  THEM. 


Edited  (for  the  Industrial  School  Association)  by  Channing  Whitaker, 
Professor  of  Mechanical  Engineering  at  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of 
Technology.  i6mo.  104  pages.  With  80  illustrations.  A  handbook 
for  teachers  and  pupils. 

Metail  Price 50  cts, 

A  course  of  simple  lessons  in  the  use  of  the  universal  tools :  the 
hammer,  knife,  axe,  plane,  rule,  chalk-line,  square,  gauge,  chisel, 
saw,  and  augur.  The  lessons  are  so  amply  illustrated  that  any 
bright  boy  will  find  the  book  alone  a  great  help  in  his  endeavors  to 
learn  the  right  way  of  using  common  tools.     Nearly  half  of  the 


SCOKING. 


FAKING. 


illustrations  were  taken  from  life,  and  are  efficient  substitutes  for 
lengthy  and  important  printed  instructions.  The  book  is  the  result 
of  actual  experiments  successfully  made  by  the  Industrial  School 
Association  of  Boston.  It  will  help  people,  who  are  interested  in 
systematic  and  efficient  industrial  education,  to  begin  it. 


24  GINN,   HEATH,    &^    CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 

also  thirty- two  shorter  pieces  from  other  speeches.  From  Bacon 
thirty  of  the  fifty-eight  Essays,  all  given  entire,  and  several  choice 
selections  from  Advanatnefit  of  Learning. 

E.  N.  Potter,  Pres.  of  Union  College,  says,  "  They  are  especially 
valuable  in  connection  with  any  course  of  English  Literature  or  His- 
tory. They  enable  students,  and  readers  generally,  to  acquire  an 
adequate  knowledge,  not  of  mere  extracts,  but  of  representative 
portions  of  the  best  works  of  world-famed  writers.  The  pupil  or 
reader  learns  not  only  the  'where,'  'when,'  etc.,  with  regard  to  an 
author's  life,  but  gains  a  knowledge  of  the  man  himself,  from  famil- 
iarity with  his  writings." 

Hudson's  Pamphlet  Selections  Prose  and  Poetry. 

Annotated,     1 2mo.    Paper.    Mailing  price  of  each,  25  cts. ;   Introduc- 
tion price,  20  cts. 

To  meet  a  growing  demand  for  standard  literature  in  cheap  form , 
we  have  bound  in  paper  covers,  for  school  use,  the  following  portions 
of  Hudson's  Text-Book  of  Prose  and  Text-Book  of  Poetry. 

Any  two  or  more  of  the  pamphlets  will  be  bound  in  one  volume 
to  suit  customers  ordering  one  hundred  or  more  copies. 

Edmund  Burke,  section  i. 

Five  Speeches  and  ten  Papers,  comprising :  Obedience  to  Instruc- 
tions ;  Speech  to  the  Electors  of  Bristol',  Growth  of  the  American 
Trade ;  Character  of  George  Grenville ;  Lord  Chathajn  a?id  Charles 
Townshend ;  State  of  Things  in  France ;  The  Revolution  z«  France ; 
Liberty  in  the  Abstract',  Freedom  as  an  Inheritance ;  The  Revohition- 
ary  Third  Estate ;  The  Rights  of  Men  ;  Abuse  of  History ;  English 
Toleration ;  How  a  Wise  Statesman  Proceeds ;  The  Principles  of 
Reform ;   Fanaticism  of  Liberty. 

Edmund  Burke,    section  ii. 

Introduced  by  a  Sketch  of  his  Life,  and  comprising:  The  Ethics 
of  Vanity ;  The  Old  and  the  New  Whigs ;  A  Letter  to  a  Noble  Lord ; 
France  at  War  with  Humanity ;  Fanatical  Atheism  ;  How  to  Deal 
with  Jacobin  France ;  Desolation  of  the  Carnatic ;  Unlawfulness  of 
Arbitrary  Power  ',  Cruelties  of  Debi  Sing;  Impeachment  of  Hastings ', 
Justice  and  Revenge ;  Appeal  for  Judgment  upon  Hastings. 


ENGLISH  LITERATURE.  25 


Daniel  Webster,    section  i. 

Including  his  celebrated  Reply  to  Hayne ;  Blessings  of  the  Con- 
stitution ;  Presidential  Nullijication ;  The  Spoils  to  the  Victors ; 
Fraudulent  Party-Outcries;  The  Position  of  Mr.  Calhoun;  South- 
Carolina  Nullification. 

Daniel  Webster,    section  ii. 

Introduced  by  a  Sketch  of  his  Life,  and  containing  extracts  from 
twenty-five  Speeches  on  The  Presidential  Protest;  The  Character 
of  Washington ;  Alexafider  Hamilton  ;  First  Settlement  of  Neiiy 
Engla7id ;  The  First  Century  of  New  England ;  The  Second  Cetitury 
of  New  Englatid;  An  Appeal  against  the  Slave-Trade;  Bunker-Hill 
Monument  Begun;  Bimker-Hill Mo?iu7nent  Fijiished;  Adams  in  the 
Congress  ofiyjS ;  Right  use  of  Learning;  The  Murder  of  Mr.  White ; 
Character  of  Lord  Byron  ;  Character  of  Judge  Story ;  Religion  as 
a?t  Element  of  Greatness  ;  Each  to  Interpret  the  Law  for  Himself; 
Irredeemable  Paper;  Benefits  of  the  Credit  System  ;  Abuse  of  Execu- 
tive Patronage ;  Philanthropic  Love  of  Power ;  The  Spirit  of  Dis- 
union ;  Importance  of  the  Navy ;  The  Log-Cabin  ;  Speakifig  for  the 
Union ;  Peaceable  Secession  ;  Standing  upon  the  Constitution ;  An 
Appeal  for  the  Utiion. 

Lord  Bacon. 

Introduced  by  a  Sketch  of  his  Life,  and  comprising  extracts  from 
thirty  Essays,  treating  of  Truth ;  Death ;  Unity  in  Religion ;  Revenge ; 
Adversity ;  Marriage  and  Single  Life ;  Great  Place ;  Goodness  and 
Goodness  of  Nature ;  Atheism;  Superstition;  Travel;  Wisdom  for 
a  Manx's  Self;  Innovations ;  Seeming  Wise ;  Friendship ;  Expetise ; 
Suspicion ;  Discourse ;  Riches ;  Nature  in  Men ;  Custom  and 
Education  ;  Youth  and  Age ;  Beauty ;  Deformity ;  Studies ;  Praise ; 
Judicature;  Anger;  Discredits  of  Learning;  Value  of  Knowledge. 

Wordsworth.     Section  I. 

Life  of  Wordsworth,  the  Prelude,  and  thirty-three  Poems. 
Wordsworth.     Section  II. 

Sixty  Poems  and  Sonnets,  accompanied  by  foot-notes,  historical 
and  explanatory. 


26 


GINN,   HEATH,    6-    CO:S  PUBLICATIONS. 


Coleridge  and  Burns. 

Containing,  in  addition  to  the  Biographical  Sketches  of  the  Poets, 
the  Notes  and  Glossaries,  forty-five  Poems,  such  as :  The  Ancient 
Marnier ',  Christabel ;  The  Cotter's  Sattirday  Night  \  To  a  Mouse; 
and  many  other  universal  favorites. 


Addison  and  Goldsmith. 

Comprising  a  brief  Sketch  of  the  Life  of  each,  together  with  fifteen 
Papers  from  Addison,  and  eleven  Prose  Selections  from  Goldsmith, 
followed  by  a  reprint  of  ''The  Deserted  Village.''''  The  Prose  Selec- 
tions include:  Sir  Roger  de  Coverly;  Superstition;  Modesty;  Cheer- 
fulness ;  True  and  False  Wit ;  Fortune-Nunters ;  Dr.  Primrose  in 
Prison;  The  Character  of  Hypatia;  A  Hard  World  for  Poets; 
English  and  French  Politeness;   etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

In  forming  the  mind  and  taste  of  the  young,  is  it  not  better  to  use 
authors  who  have  already  lived  long  enough  to  afford  some  guar- 
anty that  they  may  survive  the  next  twenty  years  ? 


A.  P.  Peabody,  Harvard  Coll.: 
The  extracts  are,  without  exception, 
admirably  chosen ;  there  is  not  one 
of  them  which  ought  not  to  have  its 
favored  place  in  the  literature  at  the 
command  of  every  person  of  even  mod- 
erate intelligence.  The  editorial  matter 
—  memoir,  note,  and  glossary  —  is  am- 
ple for  its  purpose,  manifests  the  skill 
of  an  experienced  teacher  no  less  than 
of  an  accomplished  scholar,  and  is  val- 
uable equally  for  what  it  embodies  and 
for  what,  with  a  wise  parsimony,  it 
omits  ;  for  there  is  much  that  is  tempt- 
ing to  an  editor  which  would  be  sur- 
plusage in  a  school-book. 

Henry  A.  Coit,  Prin.  St.  Patd's 
School,  Concord,  NH. :  I  heartily  ap- 
prove, admire,  and  commend.  It  is 
miles  beyond  and  above,  in  value,  the 
so-called  Advanced  Reader. 


Horace  H.  Purness,  Phila.:  If 
such  selections  could  only  be  intro- 
duced into  all  our  public  schools,  the 
next  generation  will  show  a  race  of 
statesmen  with  "  hands  that  the  rod  of 
empire  might  sway,"  and  that  would 
make  us  lift  our  head  among  the  na- 
tions. 


Dr.  Wm.  T.  Harris :  I  think  you 
are  doing  a  great  service  to  the  cause 
of  literature  in  the  country  by  printing 
and  circulating  these  books.  Mr.  Hud- 
son is  effecting  a  revolution  in  our 
methods  of  teaching  literature  by  his 
series  of  school-texts,  —  Shakespeare, 
Burke,  Wordsworth,  etc.  I  can  only 
wish  I  were  an  autocrat,  and  could 
force  these  books  into  the  schools  of 
the  country. 


ENGLISH  LITERATURE. 


27 


Hudson 's  Classical  English  Reader. 


For  High  Schools,  Academies,  and  the  upper  grades  of  Grammar  Schools. 
Containing  selections  from  Bryant,  Burke,  Burns,  Byron,  Carlyle,  Cole- 
ridge, Cowley,  Cowper,  Dana,  Froude,  Gladstone,  Goldsmith,  Gray, 
Helps,  Herbert,  Hooker,  Hume,  Irving,  Keble,  Lamb,  Landor,  Long- 
fellow, Macaulay,  Milton,  Peabody,  Scott,  Shakespeare,  Southey,  Spen- 
ser, Talfourd,  Taylor,  Webster,  Whittier,  Wordsworth,  and  other  stand- 
ard authors.  With  explanatory  and  critical  foot-notes.  i2mo.  Cloth. 
425  pages.  MaiHng  price,  $i.io;  Introduction,  ^i.oo;  Allowance  for 
old  book  in  use,  30  cents. 


Se?td  Postal  for  Special  Circular. 

Not  one  of  the  pieces  has  been  taken  for  the  author's  sake ;  the 
selection  has  proceeded  on  the  twofold  ground  of  intrinsic  merit 
and  of  fitness  to  the  purposes  of  the  volume ;  due  care  being  had, 
withal,  for  a  reasonable  variety  both  in  matter,  style,  and  author- 
ship. Including  as  it  does  the  choicest  extracts  from  so  many  stand- 
ard authors,  it  admirably  supplements  and  emphasizes  the  ordinary 


course  in  English  Literature. 

F.  J.  Child,  Prof.  ofEng.  in  Ha  - 
vard  Univ. :  A  boy  who  knew  this 
book  as  well  as  boys  who  are  good  for 
anything  generally  know  their  readers, 
might  almost  be  said  to  be  liberally 
educated.  And  how  rich  must  the 
literature  be,  when,  after  it  has  been 
ransacked  for  "  extracts  "  (not  always 
by  men  who  know  where  to  go  and 
what  to  take,  as  Mr.  Hudson  does),  a 
school-book  can  be  made  that  is  so 
select  and  so  unstaled.  I  am  going  to 
finish  my  education  on  it  myself,  and 
bring  up  a  certain  boy  on  it,  and  some 
girls.  If  I  had  seen  only  the  selections 
from  Schiller's  W^allenstein,  I  should 
be  sure  that  the  book  was  what  I  want 
for  young  people.  The  man  that  put 
those  in  knows  what  they  like  and  need. 

R.  R.  Raymond,  Pres.  of  Boston 
School  of  Oratory  :  It  is  just  the  book 
that  needed  to  be  made  ;  and,  now  that  it 
is  here,  one  is  surprised  that  it  did  not 
come  before. 


A.  P.  Peabody,  Harvard  Univ.  : 
I  must  express  to  you  my  strong  sense  of 
its  superlative  worth.  It  ought  to  make 
its  way  into  every  Grammar-School  and 
Academy  in  the  country.  It  will  do 
more  than  any  or  all  books  of  the  kind 
(there  are  none  of  the  kind)  now  in  use 
toward  creating  a  taste  for  good  liter- 
ature, and  furnishing  fit  materials  for 
the  culture  of  such  a  taste. 


H.  A.  Coit,  Prin.  of  St.  Paul's  Sch., 
Concord,  N.H. :  There  is  no  book  to  be 
compared  with  it  in  America.  There  is 
the  most  refreshing  good  taste  and  re- 
finement manifested  in  every  selection, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  best  English  literature,  to 
which  it  witnesses. 

R.  G.  Hibbard,  Prof,  of  Elocution, 
W'esleyan  Univ. :  As  a  book  for  the 
use  of  classes  in  our  High  Schools,  both 
in  the  study  of  English  Literature  and 
Reading,  it  has  no  superior. 


28 


GINN,  HEATH,  &-  CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


First  Two  Books  of  Milton's  Paradise  Lost ;  and 

Milton's  Lycidas.  By  Homer  B.  Sprague,  Ph.D.,  Principal  of  Girls' 
High  School,  Boston.  i2mo.  Cloth.  198  pages.  Mailing  price,  55 
cts.;   Introduction,  45  cts. 

These  books,  the  sublimest  of  Milton's  poetry,  are  here  prepared 
for  class  use,  as  well  as  for  private  reading.  The  edition  differs,  it 
is  believed,  from  all  other  school  editions,  — 

1.  In  containing  some  of  the  results  of  the  most  recent  studies 
and  criticisms,  as  set  forth  by  Masson,  Prof.  Himes,  the  French 
critic  Edmond  Scherer,  De  Quincey,  Lowell,  Morley,  etc. 

2.  In  being  illustrated  by  diagrams,  representing  Milton's  cos- 
mography, showing  the  relative  positions  he  assigned  in  space  to  the 
empyreal  heavens,  to  hell,  to  the  earth  between  them,  and  to  chaos. 

3.  In  omitting  fifteen  or  twenty  objectionable  lines  that  need  not 
be  read  in  school,  and  that  have  often  and  properly  caused  the  ex- 
clusion of  the  book  from  the  class-room. 

4.  In  furnishing  more  convenient  and  suggestive  notes,  with 
better  type  and  arrangement. 

5.  In  presenting  an  approved  formula  for  conducting  class 
exercises. 


P.  A.  March,  Prof,  of  Eng.,  La- 
fayette Coll. :  It  is  a  very  lively  and 
suggestive  book,  with  quite  learning 
enough  in  it  for  our  schools. 

Pres.  Warren,  Boston  Univ. :  It 
seems  to  me  admirably  adapted  to  its 
purpose. 

John  A.  Himes,  Prof,  of  Eng. 
Lit.,  Penn.  Coll.,  Gettysburg :  I  have 
seen  no  other  annotated  edition  of 
Paradise  Lost,  in  the  ground  covered, 
so  free  from  errors  or  so  safe  as  this. 

W.  J.  Rolfe  :  An  admirable  school 
edition.  It  is  the  first  really  good  in- 
troduction to  the  study  of  the  poet 
which  has  appeared  in  this  country, 
and  seems  to  us  better  than  anything 
of  the  kind  published  in  England. 

New  England  Journal  of  Ed- 
ucation :  There  is  probably  no  Ameri- 
can scholar  better  fitted  to  prepare  an 


edition  of  Milton's  poems  for  educa- 
tional uses  than  Homer  B.  Sprague. 
He  brings  to  bear  upon  his  labors  the 
skill  of  the  gifted  critic,  and  the  practi- 
cal wisdom  of  an  able  instructor,  for 
many  years,  in  English  literature.  His 
notes  are  admirable. 

C.  T.  Lane,  Prin.  High  School, 
Fort  Wayne,  Ind.  :  I  am  using  it  in  my 
class  in  English  Literature,  and  cannot 
too  strongly  express  my  admiration 
for  it. 

W.  C.  Crippin,  recent  Prin.  of 
yohnson  Normal  School,  Vt. :  It  is  in- 
comparably the  best  edition  for  class 
use  that  has  yet  appeared. 

E.  H.  Russell,  Prin.  Worcester 
Normal  School :  The  three  main  quali- 
ties of  a  good  text-book  maker,  namely, 
scholarship,  judgment,  and  enthusiasm, 
Dr.  Sprague  shows  in  this  book. 


ENGLISH  LITERATURE.  39 


Six  Selections  from  Iruing's  S ketch-Book. 

With  full  notes,  questions,  etc.,  for  home  and  school  use.  By  Homer 
B.  Sprague,  Ph.D.,  and  M.  E.  Scates,  of  the  Girls'  High  School,  Bos- 
ton. i2mo.  Cloth.  126  pages.  Mailing  price,  40  cents;  Introduc- 
tion, 35  cents.    Boards:  Mailing  price, 30 cents;  Introduction,  25  cents. 

The  volume  comprises :  T/ie  Voyage,  lVest7nmster  Abbey,  The 
Widow  and  her  Son,  Rip  Van  Winkle,  The  Legend  of  Sleepy  Hollow, 
and  Christmas . 

These  six  selections  are  complete  sketches,  each  chosen  for  its 
fitness  to  illustrate  the  variety,  as  well  as  the  characteristics,  of 
Irving's  style ;  as  pathetic,  humorous,  etc.  The  notes,  the  sugges- 
tions to  teachers,  questions  (whether  for  examination  or  to  stimulate 
inquiry),  and  the  guides  to  the  analysis  of  sentences  and  construction 
of  others  equivalent  to  those  of  the  text,  all  are  the  outgrowth  of  many 
years  experience  and  actual  trial  in  the  school-room.  Teachers  will 
be  interested  in  the  extracts  quoted  from  the  Board  of  School  Super- 
visors of  Boston,  in  regard  to  the  study  of  English  Literature  in  the 
High  Schools,  and  all  will  find  the  Chronological  Table  of  the  Life 
and  Works  of  Irving  an  invaluable  aid  to  collateral  study  and  reading. 

This  book  has  recently  been  introduced  into  the  High  Schools 
of  Cambridge,  Springfield,  Charlestown,  Dorchester,  Roxbury, 
Portland,  Gloucester,  Beverly,  Medford,  Brighton,  Jamaica  Plain, 
Bellows  Falls,  Great  Barrington,  Westboro,  Ouincy,  New  London, 
Rockland,  Castine.  Wareham,  Newton,  Greenfield,  Townsend,  etc., 
etc. 

A.  P.  Blaisdell,  author  of  "Out-  volunteers.  Among  other  things  re- 
lines  of  English  Literature" :   It  is  the    quired,   I    insist  upon  a  sketch  of  the 


best-edited  "  English  Classic  "  (I  mean 
for  common,  every-day  use  in  the 
schools)  I  have  ever  seen.  The  ques- 
tions, suggestions,  notes,  &c.,  are  ad- 
mirable. 

C.  T.  Haynes,  Prin.  Wash.  School, 
Worcester  :  I  have  found  this  book  just 
the  thing  to  form  and  cultivate  a  literary 
taste,  I  have  a  class  now  taking  up 
reading  which  is  designed  to  lay  the 
foundation  for  a  permanant  and  pro- 
gressive culture.     In  it  are  some  twenty  1  literary  direction  for  li.'^ 


author,  an  oral  abstract  of  the  selection, 
and  a  set  of  written  questions  upon  it 
for  me  to  answer.  The  chronology  of 
Irving's  life  at  the  outset  is  a  fine  idea. 
The  hints  to  teachers  so  tell  how  to  do 
the  thing  that  it  can  be  done.  The 
whole  book  is  an  excellent  lesson  on 
language,  and  most  of  the  questions, 
like  baited  fish-hooks  are  likely  to  draw 
up  a  live  answer.  That  little  book  in 
the  hands  of  wise  teachers  may  turn 
scores   of  young   minds    in   the   right 


BOOKS  FOR  PRIMARY  AND  GRAMMAR  SCHOOLS. 

iNTaoE.  Pbicb. 

March 's  A-B-C  Book 20 

Hazen  's  Spelling-Book • 25 

Church's  Stories  of  the  Old  World 4° 

Hudson  &  Lamb's  Merchant  of  Venice 25 

Lambert's  Robineon  Crusoe 35 

"        Memory  Gems 3° 

Yonge's  Scott's  Quentin  Durward 4° 

Turner's  Stories  for  Young  Children.     Boards 

Hudson's  Old  Edition  of  Shakespeare's  Plays.     Paper.    .    ..each      .20 

l^ew     "  "  "         "         Cloth  .    .    .    .     "        .45 

"  "        "  "  "         "  Paper     ..."         .30 

"        Burke,  No.  I.     (Speeches  and  Papers) 20 

Burke,  No.  11.  (Life,  Papers,  Letters,  and  Speeches)  .  .20 
"  Webster,  No.  I.  (Reply  to  Hayne,  and  other  Speeches)  .20 
"         Webster,  No.  //.      (Life,  and  Extracts  from  Speeches)     .       .20 

"         Bacon.      (Life,  and  thirty  Essays) 20 

Wordsworth,  No.  I.    (Prelude  to  Excursion,  and  33  Poems)     .20 

"         Wordsworth,  No.  II.    (Sixty  Poems  and  Sonnets) 20 

Coleridge  and  Burns.  "  (Lives,  and  forty-five  Poems)   .    .      .20 

Addison  and  Goldsmith.    (Lives,  Papers,  and  Poems)  .    .      .20 

Sprague's  Six  Selections  from  Inking  's  Sketch-Book.  Cloth,  .35,  Bds.  .25 

"         Two  Books  of  Milton 's  Paradise  Lost,  and  Lycidas.   Cloth,     .45 

Bigsby's  Elements  of  English  Composition 35 

Gilmore's  Outlines  of  the  Art  of  Expression 60 

Whitney  &  Knox's  Elementary  Lessons  in  English.   Part  I.    ''How 

to  Speak  and  Write  Correctly'' 45 

Knox's  Teacher's  Edition  of  above,  with  plans  for  oral  lessons     .    .       .60 
Whitney 's  Essentials  of  English  Grammar  (for  high  schools)    .    .      .90 

Ginn's  Addition  Tablets 3-oo 

Hill's  Geometry  for  Beginners 100 

Wentworth  &  Hill's  Examination  Manual.     Arithmetic 35 

fitz's  Terrestrial  6-inch  Globe 12.00 

Terrestrial  12-inch  Globe 25.00 

Hall's  Our  World  Geography,  No.  1 60 

"     Our  World  Geography,  No.  II i-5o 

yo/jnsi-o/7 's  Z-ar^re  lya// /lfa/?s  (Classical,  Political,  Physical)  .    .    .    .    3.50 

Hyatt's  About  Pebbles 1° 

Soodale's  Concerning  a  few  Common  Plants 10 

Hyatt's  Commercial  and  other  Sponges 20 

igassiz  's  First  Lesson  in  Natural  History 25 

'Hyatt's  Corals  and  Echinoderms 20 

"      Mollusca 25 

Worms  and  Crustacea 25 

Pros6/  's  Common  Minerals  and  Rocks 25 

Shaler's  First  Book  of  Geology 10° 

Mason 's  Primary  Music  Reader ^° 

Second  Music  Reader 20 

"         Third  Music  Reader 20 

"        Intermediate  Music  Reader 4° 

Independent  Music  Reader •      -"^ 

Independent  Music  Reader  and  Hymn   and  Tune   Book.     .94 

Allen 's  L  atin  Primer ^^ 

WhKaker's  How  to  Use  Wood-Working  Tools 6° 

Monoyer' a  Sight-Test  for  Schools    •    •    < 12  and  .32 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


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